


Twilight (Oh my! Who am I?)

by sunshine_kitcat (moonkevin)



Series: Sun clouds: A League of Legends x Seventeen AU [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Character Death, F/M, Fluff and Angst, League of Legends - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Pirates, but so much divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonkevin/pseuds/sunshine_kitcat
Summary: “And who are you?” Seokmin says, ignoring Eunwoo’s indignant scoff. The boy swallows, reaching up to scratch his head.“That’s the thing… I don’t know.”
Relationships: Jung Jaehyun/Jung Eunwoo, Kim Mingyu/Lee Seokmin | DK
Series: Sun clouds: A League of Legends x Seventeen AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1591327
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19
Collections: WIP OLYMPICS: WINTER 2019/20





	1. Chapter 1: My night grows deep (DK)

“We need a medic over here, quick!” a loud voice calls. Lee Seokmin looks up from his herbs, half crushed in the little mortar he has on the ground. A small crowd forms over by the door, shifting slightly as they part for two big fishermen to carry in a body. Seokmin can’t quite make anything out from his distance, but he still tries to peek anyway. The warrior he was tending to groans in pain, snapping Seokmin’s attention back to the man. He grinds up the last few pieces, sprinkling in a dash of his own magic for the soldier’s fast recovery. Behind him, chatter breaks through the previously pregnant silence.

“What the—”

“Oh dear, that face could make girls swoon.”

“I’ve never seen him around, have you?”

“Why do all the pretty boys have to be from a different world? So unfair…”

“What are those on his wrists? Too heavy to be work gauntlets…”

“Who cares? Such gaudy things and he still makes them work. How amazing…”

Seokmin sighs. The Noxian invasion on the First Lands has been washing more and more enemy soldiers onto their shores by the day. The villagers will no doubt throw them to the jungle once their curiosity has been satiated, apparent handsomeness be damned.

“Hold still,” Seokmin mutters, applying gentle pressure on the wound as he counts to ten under his breath. The warrior hisses in pain but complies anyway. Seokmin takes that chance to listen to the news again. If he has to rely on Eunwoo for information, it’ll all be twisted and dramatized to the point of being unrecognizable anyway.

“There’s so many burns… navy battle maybe? I’ve heard the pirates from Bilgewater have gotten bolder.”

“Look at him though, so dashing.”

“A pirate? I suppose that’s at least better than another Noxian.”

“He’s quite the looker too!”

“What’s that on his shoulder? Isn’t that a heart? Why’s it blue and pink?”

Seokmin freezes, relieving his pressure. Thankfully it was the right timing anyway, so he quickly cleans up and heads over to the commotion. Squeezing himself between nosy healers all trying to be the one to heal the odd stranger, Seokmin earns one or two pushes back before the Head Healer finally spots him.

“Seokmin! Do you know this guy?” Kyungwon asks. Seokmin shakes his head, not recalling ever meeting someone with the same little diamond mark that was tattooed on his shoulder. Kyungwon sighs, evidently disappointed. Still, she waves him over.

“You’re still a little more qualified, in case this mark does something,” she mutters, scrubbing the dirt off the guy’s face with a damp cloth. She pulls it off, handing it to a nearby apprentice to clean, before turning to grab some medicine. Seokmin sucks in a breath. As low as the healer girls’ standards were, they weren’t lying when they said this guy was a catch. He had high cheekbones coated in water, full lips that had a singular fresh scar on them. His hair was black, wet strands covering his eyes in a mesmerizing fashion. Everything about him screamed heartthrob, down to the twisting bands of gold on his wrists. His shirt was ripped, looking like everything Seokmin has had to hear Eunwoo say about her one dream guy. She’d love this guy, Seokmin decides.

“Seokmin? Did you hear me?” Kyungwon interrupts Seokmin’s train of thought. He jumps in surprise before ducking his head sheepishly. Kyungwon smiles sympathetically.

"It’s okay. I did the same when I first saw him. Can you take care of his burns? There are ones on his thighs, forearms and back, but I’m not sure where else.”

Seokmin nods, getting to work immediately. The burns aren't severe, but a strange layer of static electricity covers them. Seokmin nearly shocked himself at first. Kyungwon hands him a sprig of burn-treating flowers before returning to cleaning the guy’s body, but they burn up the moment they make contact with the electrical waves. Seokmin deduces that plants aren't going to do here, taking off his healing gloves. He puts his hand onto the guy’s shoulder blades, imagining his turquoise magic travelling down the castaway’s body like a gentle breeze. Normally, this would probably do a tiny bit of damage control, stopping the injuries from spreading, and that would be it. Kyungwon takes her hands off, already anticipating her return to work. They’d probably be here for ages. With a deep breath, Seokmin shuts his eyes and wills the magic through.

Kyungwon gasps loudly. “Seokmin? Have you been practicing?”

Seokmin opens his eyes, confusion on his face. “No? Just regular work.”

Kyungwon raises an eyebrow. “Then explain that,” she says, gesturing at the patient’s body. Seokmin’s eyes travel down, widening as he realizes what happened. All of the wounds have closed, not leaving a single shred of evidence that they were there. The only proof the stranger had been injured at all was the scar on his lips. Of course, his super odd development in magical power would leave that out. Of course.

"Maybe it’s the mark? Similar magic wavelengths are needed to heal anyway,” Kyungwon suggests. Seokmin shrugs, taking the answer. He knows he has an abnormally high amount of magic, and so his normal spells don’t really work on normal patients.

“Whatever the case, I think you should take care of him,” Kyungwon decides, her tone final. Seokmin sighs. Eunwoo is going to be a pain to deal with now.

“Who are you?” Seokmin mutters. For the slightest second, the body twitches, as if it was responding to Seokmin’s comment. The healer flinches at the action, although the body goes back to being motionless soon. Seokmin lets it be a figment of his imagination, rolling up his sleeves to drag the body to a recovery bed.

“Switch—”

"No.”

Eunwoo pouts.

“Jaehyun would’ve switched with me,” she whines, poking at Seokmin’s chest. They’re sitting on a tree, staring at the First Land’s beautiful scenery while on their break. Seokmin snorts.

“Jung Jaehyun would never say no to you, he’s practically your boyfriend. Besides, he’s not even a healer,” Seokmin points out. Eunwoo pouts even further, puffing out her cheeks like a chipmunk.

“We’re just friends.”

Seokmin swallows a snort. “Sure.”

Eunwoo throws her hand up, giving up as she lets herself fall back. After years of friendship, Seokmin doesn’t even move to catch her (unlike someone). Eunwoo’s knees keep her on the branch, hair flipping upside down and short summer dress about to spill over before she fastens a magic strand around it. Now only her thighs show.

“There are children watching, Nunu.”

“I don’t care! I want to see the new guy!”

“You mean you want to get yourself a boyfriend,” Seokmin deadpans. Eunwoo swings back up, sticking her tongue at Seokmin. Still, she doesn’t deny it.

“All the guys here are either uninteresting or taken!” she argues. Seokmin raises an eyebrow.

“Jaehyun too?”

Eunwoo grumbles, but Seokmin knows he’s hit jackpot. She pulls her knees to her chest, curling up into a ball as she glares at Seokmin.

“He’s not interested in me.”

Seokmin snorts again, fast on his way to become a pig at this rate.

“Sure, Nunu. I’ll let you visit, but I’m not switching. Kyungwon wants me on.”

Eunwoo grumbles again. “Meanie.”

Seokmin spares her a laugh.

The next few days were exactly the same, the excitement of a strange, handsome boy showing up finally dying down. True to his word, Seokmin lets Eunwoo visit once, where she spends nearly an hour fawning over how ridiculously good looking he is. Seokmin internally agrees although he spends most of the visit trying to stop Eunwoo from poking the stranger’s… everything.

“Get yourself a boyfriend and do that with him, not some random dude!” Seokmin chides. Eunwoo blows raspberries at him, crossing her arms like a little child.

“That’s what I’m trying to do here?” she says, waving her arms at the stranger. Her thumb collides with his nose, making her instantly recoil with a yelp. Expectedly, the stranger is motionless. Seokmin scrunches up his face, making a strangled noise as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Do you think he’ll remember that?” Eunwoo whispers.

“He’s in a coma, Nunu. Why don’t you go bother Jaehyun? Or tend to your patients?” Seokmin says, exasperated. Eunwoo pouts, putting her hands on her hips as she strikes a sassy pose.

“Fine, but tell me when he wakes up.”

Seokmin shrugs. “Sure. Why not? Just please go.”

Eunwoo flashes him a cheeky smile, sauntering out as if she owned the place. Seokmin loved Eunwoo. He really did. She was his childhood best friend and enabler for almost everything Seokmin was too scared to try, which turned out to be most things. Unfortunately, that came with some chaos itself. Jaehyun was his only hope for peace nowadays. Eunwoo could be adequately distracted by him.

With another sigh, Seokmin turns to the unconscious boy in the healing tent. He sits down next to him, tracing the scars his golden wristbands left on his forearms. Everywhere Seokmin touched, tendrils of electricity tickled his finger pads. There was another Noxian soldier in the healing tent, whom they got to take a look at the stranger before they deemed him fit to fight for his life in the jungle. He didn’t recognize the castaway, despite claiming to know everyone on camp. The village head deemed him a washed-up Bilgewater pirate and left it at that, only more convinced when the fisherman claimed to have seen a pirate flag get caught in his net. Seokmin traces the outline of the boy’s jaw, relaxing his magic in to search for the broken bones he found the other day.

There are five areas in total: jaw, lower ribs, both kneecaps and a smashed shoulder. Jaehyun had talked him through a possible fight sequence, even showing off the moves he learned with the Assassin’s Order. Whatever it was, Jaehyun told him the moves were typical of pirates, messy and lacking finesse. Seokmin reaches down to the guy’s knees, deciding to get two areas done today. They were completely done in, twisted and broken from a powerful yet even impact. Probably got hit by a mast on the way down, Jaehyun deduced from before, although the internal bruises confused the hell out of him. The electricity kept him company throughout the work, sparking and trying to interfere. It was better than the first few days, where the electricity wouldn’t even let him near the boy. Now it was just trying to stop him from prodding too deep.

Seokmin likes to think it’s grown on him. Tendrils of turquoise wrap around the flesh, seeping in as Seokmin inspects the damage. The healing is done mindlessly, almost second nature to Seokmin. He’s had enough broken bones from the invasion. His mind drifts off to the buzz around town, speculation about what they could do with him. Some wanted to have him fair against the wild like the Noxians, except the Bilgewater pirates have nothing to do with the invasion. Some wanted to have him stay and help them fight, with all the magic he carries. Seokmin just wishes he’ll have a choice.

The kneecaps heal up pretty quickly, and soon Seokmin is just sewing the skin back together. His eyes drift to a pair of wristbands at the bedside. Resigning to his curiosity, Seokmin picks up the pair. A crisscrossing patchwork of lilac gemstones adorn the sides of them. Sparks of electricity tingle Seokmin’s skin when he touches it, making his hair stand on his hand. Seokmin looks back to the unconscious male, wondering if he had stolen this during his ship’s probable demise. Maybe it was even from the enemy ship. Seokmin entertains the thought of this stranger being some kind of hero, coming here to rest before returning to Bilgewater to save his pirate clan or something. Seokmin has no idea how those clan structures work, but it sounds pretty cool in his mind.

Yet… those scars and burns. Seokmin rubs his arms, shivering at the thought of what might have happened to this might-be hero. Seokmin decides being a hero is a double-edged sword, for it is extremely dangerous and scary. _Too scary for little old me!_ Seokmin gulps. He sets the wristbands down, looking over at his patient. He nearly jumps out of his skin, eyes widening as he stares at the stranger’s pure-white irises.

“H-hello?” Seokmin stammers. The stranger parts his lips, a small, white wispy tuft of smoke drifting out. A creepy aura falls on the room, sending a tingle of fear down Seokmin’s spine. Then, the stranger starts speaking. His voice is raspy, dry and terribly scary.

“ _Deep inside the Jungle’s heart, the shield of life will fall apart. Where friends are lost and enemies fight, give it your light or pay the price. A heart’s last whisper will save our hope; let magic’s home aid your elope. A diamond heart to guide one home, where answers lie in past’s tome._ ”

Then, he closes his eyes and mouth, smoke disappearing as soon as it comes. The aura is gone, and Seokmin is left frozen in place, staring at the shitshow that just happens. He blinks once, twice, before finally unfreezing and bolting the hell out of there.


	2. Chapter 2: You’re like the summer without the overbearing heat (MG)

_ The moment the boy woke up, there was nothing but yellow in his vision. He tried to look around, searching for any sign of… well, anything. Disappointingly, there’s nothing. With a sigh, the boy messed up his hair, squeezed his brain out for something about himself. He briefly remembered a ship with big, broad wooden masts and gigantic sails. The sea was stormy, crackling with electricity and grumbling in anticipation. Suddenly, the yellow room twisted and distorted, rippling like the water surface after a pebble had been dropped in. Below him, the world opened up into a vast ocean. There were two ships below him, drifting into view of each other. They both raised a ripped, black flag with a skull and two bones in an ‘X’ underneath. The boy couldn’t remember why one of the flags looked so familiar, littered with holes the boy found looked extremely familiar. Yet, the boy couldn't explain why, for the life of him. One of the ships launched a cannonball at the other, and suddenly all hell broke loose. _

_ The dream, unforgivingly, ended right then. _

The boy wakes up rather peacefully. The world is pitch-black, with a red tint over his eyes. Muscle memory stops the boy from opening his eyes, mind returning to an old memory.  _ Don’t open your eyes after you wake up. Check if you can fight, first. Otherwise, they’d just knock you out again, _ a voice chides in the boy’s mind. He can’t quite remember who said it, or why, but he listens anyway. If this is the one memory that surfaces the muddle in his mind, the boy will gladly accept it. He wiggles his toes, satisfied when they respond. One by one, the boy checks out everything, untwisting the knot in his stomach when he finds that everything works fine, except the horrible crick in his neck. Content, he opens his eyes gently.

“Seokie! Look! He’s alive!” a feminine voice gasps. The boy slowly lets his eyes adjust, slowly sitting up as he licks his lips to moisturize them. The dry cracks along the skin of them feel rather uncomfortable.

“Oh my gosh! So! Um… hi? My name is Seokmin and—“ a soft, masculine voice interject.

“You look like a fine piece of drop-dead gorgeous,” the female blurts out, before slapping her hand on her face. Her cheeks are puffed out like a blowfish, eyes wide and leaning back like she is scared of something even more embarrassing spilling out. Her male companion hisses.

“Nunu! You don’t say that first!”

The girl, presumably ‘Nunu’, flares back at him. They proceed to bicker like twins fighting for dominance in an increasingly one-sided argument. Finally, the boy clears his throat.

“Um… I’m right here,” he says nervously. His voice is unexpectedly deep, kind of raspy and all too dry. The male, Seokie, the boy deduces, seems to notice this because he hands him a glass of water immediately.

“Drink,” Seokie orders.

“Then tell us your name,” Nunu suggests. She is immediately smacked in the arm, to which she sticks her tongue out at Seokie for. The boy clears his throat again, not wanting to interrupt this kind of adorable banter but also needing answers.

“Where am I? Why am I here? Who are you?” the boy fires off.

“This is the recovery tent in Fae’lor, Ionia. The fishermen found you washed up. I’m your assigned healer, Seokmin, and this is Eunwoo, m—“

“Your favourite dream,” she smiles, sickeningly sweet. Batting her eyelashes, Eunwoo crosses her legs and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Seokmin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“And who are you?” Seokmin says, ignoring Eunwoo’s indignant scoff. The boy swallows, reaching up to scratch his head.

“That’s the thing… I don’t know.”

Eunwoo visibly deflates at this. The boy raises an eyebrow at this. Seokmin waves her off.

“Ignore her. Amnesia isn’t uncommon for castaways,” he pauses, pursing his lips thoughtfully, “although we do need to call you something.”

The boy swallows again. “Why don’t you give me a name?” he says hopefully. Eunwoo visibly brightens up, eyes dancing with excitement as a sly smirk appears on her face.

“How about—“

“—we ask the village heads? You can’t just have any old name, after all,” Seokmin interjects.

The boy frowns. “Why not?”

Seokmin shakes his head. “I don’t know what it’s like where you came from, but here in Ionia, names carry a certain power. A meaning, if you will, but it’s more than just some old stigma. A name embodies your soul, your purpose—“ Seokmin rambles on, about to launch into a speech when Eunwoo puts her hand on his rising ones and interrupts him.

“Don’t listen to him. He takes the crones too seriously. Most of us change our names come sixteen and above anyway. Mine means ‘heart’s whisper’ in the old language, and Seokie here kept his own. It means ‘Saviour’,” Eunwoo explains. The boy nods, accepting the answer before considering his own.

“What’s ‘I don’t know who I am’ in the old language?” the boy says, chuckling. Eunwoo offers him a sympathetic smile. Seokmin purses his lips, deep in thought before clicking his tongue and snapping.

“I got it! Kim Mingyu!”

“I thought you wanted to consult the elders?” Eunwoo teases. Seokmin shrugs.

“They’ll agree. Mingyu suits him like a charm!” Seokmin exclaims excitedly.

“Ming… gyu,” the boy tries out, testing if his tongue will like it. It’s nice, in a familiar kind of way. Seokmin beams. Eunwoo hums in agreement, expression impressed.

“‘Discoverer of the lost world’,” she translates, a smile on her lips, “sounds pretty mysterious. And sexy.”

Seokmin smacks her arm. “Jung Eunwoo!”

Mingyu cracks a smile at the sight, feeling ridiculously fond of these two bickering children already. In a tiny little tent, lit up only by a single lamp, Mingyu feels kind of cold in just a fleece blanket and soft pants. And yet, the muted energy of the room is enough to warm his core up, a buzzing feeling of familiarity despite him just meeting the pair of healers mere moments ago. Maybe it has something to do with his missing memories, or the megawatt smiles on their faces. Mingyu likes to think it’s a bit of both.

Somewhere between waking up and falling asleep again, Mingyu manages to be introduced to the rest of the villagers. They deem him a part of the village until he regains his memories, much to the chagrin of the village boys. Seokmin and Eunwoo introduce him to Jaehyun, a fresh graduate from the Temple of the Mountain. He calls himself a defender, but Eunwoo not-so-discreetly whisper-yells at Mingyu to tell him Jaehyun’s basically a ninja. Jaehyun, predictably, denies it vehemently. Mingyu almost feels bad, watching Eunwoo and Jaehyun bicker back and forth. Turns out, it’s not Seokmin-and-Eunwoo that spells trouble, it’s Just-Eunwoo that spells trouble.

“Are you all related?” Mingyu whispers. Seokmin shakes his head

“Nah, just good friends. They’re like siblings though,” he says, gesturing at the bickering pair. It’s a little scary, watching them wave their hands around excessively.

“Is she always like that?” Mingyu whispers to Seokmin. The healer justs shrugs.

“I can’t remember a time when she wasn't like that,” he whispers back, although there’s something fond in his eyes that eases Mingyu. If their relationship is fine through this, then he has no reason to worry. The trio eases him into village life easy enough, with Jaehyun trying to persuade him to join the peace-keeping forces against the Noxians. There’s something comforting about the guy, like how off his smile constantly is, and how his dimples seem to continue into oblivion. Really, Mingyu has no reason to say no. When Seokmin hears of the news, he rolls his eyes.

“You fell for the dimples too, huh?”

Mingyu frowns. “No I did—Wait, ‘too’?”

Seokmin shrugs. “Everybody does. Don’t take it personally.”

This strikes Mingyu as odd, but he was the one who just lost his memories. He doesn’t really have much to base his ‘normal’ on. Seokmin notices his confusion, shooting Mingyu a smile before handing him his wristbands back. The healing tent he spent his coma in is tidied up and ready for the next patient, all neat and empty save for Seokmin and Mingyu. Mingyu accepts the wristbands, clasping them on his arms a feeling a jolt of electricity up his arm. For some reason, the spark explodes outwards, nearly slamming into Seokmin before Mingyu clenches his fist and cuts off the channel inches away from Seokmin’s nose. The healer raises an eyebrow.

“Is there something on my nose?”

Mingyu recoils, looking sheepish. Seokmin’s face morphs into sympathy, gently patting Mingyu on the shoulders. There’s a certain hesitation to his touch. He’s been acting odd all day, skittish and jumpy whenever Mingyu approaches. Judging from the weird looks from Jaehyun and Eunwoo, this isn’t normal. Before he can ask, Seokmin brightens up again.

“Let’s talk to Jaehyun. He can help you with dangerous things,” Seokmin quickly says. Mingyu nods along but grabs Seokmin’s wrist when he turns to leave.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Mingyu asks. Seokmin’s eyes wander around, trying to find an escape.

“No reason! I’m just naturally jumpy,” he squeaks. Mingyu raises a threatening eyebrow, earning another squeak before Seokmin exhales in defeat. He peeks around to see if anyone was coming, before sitting down onto the wooden floor.

“Sit down,” he commands. Mingyu complies, although he files the fact that Seokmin is about as threatening as the stack of flat cakes he had this morning away for later.

“When you were in a coma,” Seokmin explains, “you had this weird moment where you kind of went all prophet-of-the-wilds on me and sprouted some weird poem or something. I didn’t know what to do, so I asked Kyungwon and she told me to keep it as a secret. For some reason, I was the one to hear it, and it must mean something in relation to these marks on our arms,” he says, gesturing at the little diamond heart on both of their arms. Mingyu nods along. He was wondering what these were anyway.

“What did I say?” Mingyu asks. 

Seokmin’s lips thin. “ _ Deep inside the Jungle’s heart, the shield of life will fall apart. Where friends are lost and enemies fight, give it your light or pay the price. A heart’s last whisper will save our hope, let magic’s home aid your elope. A diamond heart to guide one home, where answers lie in past’s tome. _ ”

Silence.

The room’s air is heavy and thick like someone had smeared butter all over the air. Mingyu sighs, messing up his hair as he leans back onto the made bed.

“Sounds pretty intense,” Mingyu notes. Seokmin’s smile is sheepish in return. He looks cute, sitting in the fading afternoon light like this. His soft brown hair is messy and ruffled from running around and tending to patients all day. There’s a smudge of some green goop on his cheek, and Mingyu reaches out to wipe it off. Seokmin flinches at the action but lets him do it nonetheless. For a moment, the world is silent. 

“We should ask your friends. Maybe they’ll know something we don’t,” Mingyu suggests. Seokmin shakes his head.

“There’s an old Ionian myth,” Seokmin begins, “of the ‘Heart of the Jungle’. It’s a wooden staff, capable of purifying the land of disease and wounds. Every healer has heard of it. In some ways, it’s like a ‘shield’ for life.”

Mingyu cocks his head. “What happened to it?”

Seokmin shrugs. “Nobody knows. There was a big fight once, and the staff was lost. It was said to be able to cure everything,” Seokmin pauses, “except death. It could cure your amnesia though,” he concludes.

A little bird called hope flutters inside of Mingyu, wanting to know where he came from before all of this.

“Do you think it could provide clues about this?” Mingyu asks, gesturing at his mark. Seokmin shrugs.

“Maybe?”

Mingyu grins. “Then let’s go find it!”

Seokmin frowns at this, probably about to lecture him on the dangers of the ‘Jungle’ or whatnot. Mingyu rolls his eyes at this, grabbing Seokmin’s wrist and pulling him out of the tent. He’s so excited a shock of electricity accidentally shocks Seokmin, but the latter doesn’t even wince.

“Let’s go find your friends! It’s time for an adventure!”

“But—“

“No buts!”


	3. Chapter 3: You’re the boiling point to my loneliness (WW)

The sky is grumbling when Jeon Wonwoo wakes up. The caravan’s hard wooden floor is as uncomfortable as it gets, sharp wood splints digging into his back as Wonwoo’s metal chains scratch at his raw skin. The thin prisoner’s shirt he has on does nothing to block the cold chill of the morning breeze filtering through a ripped hole in the caravan’s walls. The sound of creaky wheels along a jungle-infested path hums low in the back of Wonwoo’s mind. At the forefront, Wonwoo can see three guards in the caravan, glaring at the handful of Noxian war prisoners shackled by harsh, metal chains. Soft tendrils of magic roll off the chains, enchanted to stop magic usage. The plants of wherever he’s being shipped to chant in his mind, low mumbles of waking up. Wonwoo almost smiles at the thought of a little piece of familiarity away from home. Almost.

_ Smiling is a sign of weakness and lies,  _ his mother’s voice chides,  _ never trust a smile. _ Wonwoo composes himself, ignoring the urge to beat himself up for being caught for the millionth time and focuses on listening to the plants for some kind of clue. He’s aware he’s being shipped to a prison camp somewhere to work until his dying day by the Noxians, but that’s about it. The soft rustling of wind between leaves in his ear tells Wonwoo he isn’t in the cold Freljord or the blistering heat of Shurima. The plants seem to notice his presence, because suddenly, there’s an onslaught of noise.

Gritting his teeth, Wonwoo mentally asks them to quiet down. His hands itch at the lack of magic normally coursing through them, but the enchantment is strong. An old Ixtalian proverb surfaces in his mind, another scathing remark from the home Wonwoo was so stupid to venture too far from.

_ Nature is our friend. Let it aid you. _

Wonwoo sighs internally.  _ Hello there,  _ he tries,  _ can you tell me where I am? _

A million gasps go off in his mind before they are replaced with excited introductions and rambles. Wonwoo cringes at the growing headache, filtering past the heavy accents flowers put on to try and steal his attention. The flowers back home weren’t so flamboyant. Neither were the ones in Noxus, from Wonwoo’s adventures up north. He looks around for a calm voice, before finally landing on a lonely piece of lemongrass.

_ Could you give me a neat answer?  _ Wonwoo asks. The lemongrass seems startled by his question, but it complies regardless. 

_ You are in Ionia, the homeland of magic. There are some big scary men trampling on my grassy friends. Could you please remove them?  _ The plant asks. Wonwoo mentally lets the plant down before turning his head around to inspect his surroundings. There’s a low growl from a guard, and Wonwoo hangs his head down before there is trouble. He lets himself slip into a comfortable position, listening to the plant’s morning chatter and gossip as the caravan crosses the old beaten jungle paths of Ionia. On his right shoulder, a tiny little diamond heart hums along with the flowers, basking in the attention the plants give it. Wonwoo lets his inner flower thrive, listening to its voice blend in and out with the plants outside. Ionia’s flora is remarkably more peaceful and gentle compared to the Ixtalian jungle back home. Even the undergrowth, usually bitter from the lack of attention, seem cheerful and optimistic. Wonwoo almost allows himself to slip into that comfort, to let his odd gift take over and just bask in it, when the caravan jostles violently. The prisoners fall into each other, stumbling and trying to right themselves as the guards grumble in annoyance. Out of habit, Wonwoo reaches out to the plants to right the caravan onto its normal position. The chains on his hands dig in a little further, surely leaving raw skin and scratches, a stark reminder of his current condition. Surprisingly, the plants respond. They hold the wheels in place as gravity takes over, setting the caravan back on its track before slipping away. Wonwoo almost recoils in shock. The plants back home would have taken so much more force and warnings before they relented.

_ You’d be surprised how far a little kindness goes, little bud,  _ the camelias chant in Wonwoo’s ears. If they had mouths, Wonwoo could almost imagine their motherly smiles on him. Scowling at the implication, Wonwoo tunes the plants out, reeling in his flower. His mark hisses in defiance, but Wonwoo pushes past it anyway.

_ Kindness is another word for weakness _ , Wonwoo’s mother echoes in his mind. He dismisses the voice, focusing on listening for the sounds around him. There seems to be chatter now, so Wonwoo can assume they’ve arrived at the camp. The guards usher the prisoners off the caravan, pulling them along metal chains and into the camp.

The prisoner’s camp is pretty much what Wonwoo expected, except with a bit more misery. Regardless, the camp is exactly that. Tall wooden spikes are driven to the ground on the worker’s side of the camp, too tall to jump over and decorated with more iron nails to prevent climbing. Wonwoo reaches deep underground to see if digging was an option, but the underground roots report no paths are to be seen. The ground is cleared, all browns and grays in typical Noxian fashion. Blood red flags hang from the officers’ tents, surrounded by high stone walls, but Wonwoo pays them no attention. He was looking for a way out, not a way further in. He needs to get his bearings first, find out which part of Ionia he’s been brought to. Then there was the matter of actually formulating a plan and—

“Psst!” a voice hisses. Wonwoo turns around, meeting another prisoner’s eyes. They’re in the mess hall, still shackled with anti-magic chains. The prisoner’s eyes are sharp and fox-like, her long black hair framing her sharp features like a painting. Wonwoo notes that she looks exactly like every Noxian he’s ever met and wonders how she ended up here. If anything, this girl will be key to his escape.

“What?” Wonwoo hisses back. The girl pretends to trip, pissing off a few guards to stand next to Wonwoo.

“I saw your nature magic earlier. Do you still have control beyond these chains?” the woman asks. Wonwoo narrows his eyes, wondering how many others saw his little show. Hopefully, not enough, Wonwoo prays before mentally chiding himself.

“Maybe,” Wonwoo whispers, “what about it?”

The woman’s smile is calculating, yet unmistakably excited. There’s a glint of hope in her eyes as she grins wider.

“I may have a plan if you’re up to escape.”

Wonwoo mulls over her words, wondering if the woman is to be trusted. He deems her dangerous enough, with a sharp gaze and a cold edge to her. The guards hitch them to move faster, one coming extremely close to punching the woman’s shoulder. Wonwoo sweeps his feet back, bending his knees to lower his stance before bringing up his right leg. With a huff, he hooks it around, knocking the offending guard off his balance. The guard glares at him, about to attack back when the woman knees him in the groin. The other guards snicker at the sight but don’t move to help their withering comrade. Quietly, Wonwoo slips back into the line, right in front of the woman. The rest of the line is murmuring low, stealing glances at Wonwoo and his new acquaintance. The choice was made.

“Wonwoo,” Wonwoo whispers to the woman, “pleasure to meet you.”

The woman grins. “I’m Minkyung.”

Wonwoo’s mother had a wise saying.  _ Life is like a wall of vines,  _ she said,  _ the thickest gets the water and food first, and the bottom ones only have leftovers. You must fight to become the thickest one. _

Perhaps that was why he is standing above another prisoner, blood dripping from his hand as a small ring of prisoners stands around him. The prisoner’s nose is dislocated, blood dripping from his face as his goons scramble to help him up. The glare in his eyes is murderous like he was ready to rip off Wonwoo’s head. The Ixtalian wipes the spot of blood off his face, before picking up his tools and going back to work.

“I’ll get you for that, punk!” the prisoner yells, clutching his shovel. He charges towards Wonwoo, yelling on top of his lungs.  _ Too loud _ , Wonwoo decides, growling as he easily sidesteps the attack. He elbows the man in the chest, kneeing his groin and grabbing his shovel. Throwing it to the ground, Wonwoo pushes his shoulder down for good measure.

“And I’ll put you in your place every time, punk,” Wonwoo growls. He turns to leave without a word, not caring for the whispers among the crowd. The guards around him yawn, seemingly bored now that the fighting has ended. They yell at the crowd to disperse and get back to work, so Wonwoo does just that. Minkyung slides up next to him, glancing to see if the guards are watching before reaching into her shirt and pulling out a tiny skeleton key. Her smirk is playful, but her gaze completely purposeful.

“Should’ve gone for the groin first,” she jokes, elbowing him gently. Wonwoo rolls his eyes. Nothing in their unspoken contract talked about casual interactions, so Wonwoo just ignores her. After a few more moments of pestering, Minkyung finally gives up.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” she murmurs. Wonwoo growls low, to which Minkyung simply calls him cute for. That earns another growl.

“Stop talking to me,” Wonwoo hisses, “they’ll suspect us.”

Minkyung rolls her eyes. “There are nearly two hundred prisoners in this camp. If they’re watching us, I’d be flattered.”

Wonwoo scowls. “Careful, your eyes might roll away at that rate, she-devil.”

Minkyung smirks, pleased to know that she’s obviously won this round. But only this round.

“Whatever, flytrap.”

Wonwoo’s ears burn red at the nickname, deepening his scowl as he turns to Minkyung.

“Demon.”

“Flower Boy.”

“Evil Incarnate.”

“Daisy.”

“He—“

“What’s going on over here, numbers sixty and sixty-one?” A voice cuts in. Wonwoo’s insult dies down in his throat as he turns to find the camp’s commander breathing down his neck. His mark burns at the contact and Wonwoo has to pinch himself to get it to die down before everyone can see his lotus-pink glow. It was embarrassing enough on its own, not to mention extremely dangerous for Minkyung’s and his plan. Clearing her throat, Minkyung shoots a sickeningly sweet smile at the commander.

“Nothing, sir. Just making friends.”

The commander narrows his eyes.

“Fighting is not allowed in the camp, you hear me? Not amongst the prisoners, anyway.”

Wonwoo pushes down the urge to laugh.

“Sir, yes sir,” they chorus. The commander seems satisfied with the answer, marching away to inspect the other workers while Wonwoo glares at Minkyung. She bats her eyelashes innocently at him.

“What?” she asks.

Wonwoo’s left eye twitches. As quietly as possible, he hisses. “Why are you obsessed with pissing me off? And why do you insist on sitting with me every mealtime, even though you have nothing to say about the plan? Why are you so hell-bent on—“

Wonwoo stops, anger boiling ar the malicious grin Minkyung’s sending him. Oh.

“Careful, you’re starting to sound fond,” Minkyung teases. Wonwoo narrows his eyes, deciding to file that rage away for later use. Anger is a great tool to stay awake with, after all.

“Am not.”

Minkyung says nothing, only revelling in her victory. Wonwoos stabs the ground, getting on with his tasks while trying his very best to not feel attached to the one person who doesn’t immediately hate him.

_ You’d be surprised how far a little kindness goes. _

Wonwoo is NOT growing attached.


	4. Chapter 4: What do I do with you? (MG)

_ Mingyu wakes up to a yellow room. There is almost nothing in sight, just like the previous dream he had here. The haze is starting to become a bit of an eyesore, dull mustard yellow in every direction. _

_ Well, almost every direction. Sat in the middle of the room is a little girl with almond-shaped eyes and light brown hair. She’s smiling, secretive in nature yet undeniably pitying. _

_ “You have to forget,” she says simply. Mingyu narrows his eyes, confusion in his brows. _

_ “I have amnesia. I don’t remember anything about my old life.” _

_ The girl shakes her head. “You will remember soon. You have to forget then.” _

_ Mingyu opens his mouth to ask for clarification when the room fades away. Suddenly, the world underneath opens up. Below him is a pirate ship, the same one from his last dream. It’s swaying gently on the calm ocean, the very image of serenity amongst the blue-pink sky behind it. The wind is gentle in its sails, like a soft nudge in the right direction. All is calm. _

_ Suddenly, a loud clanging noise rings out. Mingyu blinks, head swivelling down to spot a small boy on the railings, one foot in front of the other as he tries to stabilize himself. His frail frame is drowned in a dirty white cotton shirt, dark brown pants bunched up at his knees and feet bare. His left arm is tangled in a long piece of frayed rope, his right holding a curved sabre sword. In front of him, a mean-looking woman glares at the boy, arms by her side as she barely shifts to keep her balance. She wears a deep crimson overcoat, black tricorn hat on her head with a blue feather sticking out from it. Her corset is midnight black, lined with pistols and bullets, terrifying in its own right. It’s only outdone by the harsh scowl on her face. _

_ “You call that a fight? You’ll be dead before the first canon even fires! If you’re gonna be like this during training, I’ll have to stuff you below decks during a fight, Shrimp.” _

_ The boy gulps, panic in his eyes as he tumbles off the side of the ship. The rope holds his skinny arm in a sturdy yet painful hold. The woman jumps off the rail, walking away as her heels click. The boy’s face scrunches up in pain, fumbling with his other hand to climb the rope. Tears stream down his cheeks, teeth-gritting as he hails himself up. The waves wail in the background, almost pitifully. The boy slumps against the railings, clutching onto the wood as he shakes. Pirates mull around on board, not even moving to help the little boy. _

_ “I’ll prove it to you. I’m not a dead weight,” the boy hisses, glaring the fading silhouette of the sauntering woman. _

There was barely any light when they left, blue streaks in the sky, covered by swirling pink clouds. Jaehyun had agreed to come, entirely too protective of Seokmin to let his best friend wander off with a stranger, magical mark be damned. Eunwoo had claimed the trio had the combined survival skills of a twig, running home to grab necessary supplies and leaving a note for her parents. Seokmin, predictably, kept trying to keep his friends out of danger and push them to stay, but he ended up being the one pushing Eunwoo out of her house before she could bring an extra bedroll. Jaehyun got it for her anyway. They left at dawn, early enough that the fishermen wouldn’t catch them leaving. 

The jungle is a beautiful blend of flora and fauna, all bright and colourful. A little voice in the back of Mingyu’s head notes that they are most definitely being watched, but Seokmin assures him only blue ferrets roam this part of the forest at this hour. Regardless, Mingyu is completely on edge, gripping Seokmin’s hand to reassure himself he isn’t alone. 

“How do we know which way to go?” Mingyu wonders aloud. Seokmin turns around to face him.

“We’re heading inland. ‘Heart of the jungle’ and all,” Seokmin explains. Mingyu nods along, surprised at how obvious that was. He should’ve expected that. Seokmin turns around, staring at Eunwoo and Jaehyun’s back. Their fingers are brushing, close to holding but never lingering for long enough. The warm hand in Mingyu’s own feels odd, compared to the pair in front of him. Still, he doesn’t dare let go.

“Tell me about the jungle,” Mingyu whispers to Seokmin. The boy is unresponsive, stopping only for a little to shoot Mingyu a confused look.

“Please?” Mingyu tries. Seokmin’s lips curl up into a little smile, slowing his pace to walk side by side with Mingyu. He’s barely shorter than Mingyu, the perfect height for a forehead kiss, Mingyu notices. Immediately as he notices though, Mingyu can feel a blush creeping up. He fights it back down, mentally chiding himself for the weird thought.

“Well, what do you want to know?” Seokmin asks. Mingyu shrugs, feeling Seokmin’s hand burn a hole in his own.

“Anything really. Although knowing what to touch and what not to would be a good start,” Mingyu replies, trying to sound nonchalant. He doesn’t understand why he’s so flustered. They’re just holding hands. For safety.

“You see that plant over there?” Seokmin points. Mingyu follows his finger, finding a leaf with a fuzzy red edge and green stems.

“The fuzzy one?”

Seokmin nods. “Three days of rashes, a lot of itches and the unbearable want to throw yourself into the ocean. We call it Sea Breath. Don’t touch it.”

Mingyu nods grimly. He points to a small flower, little white tuffs around a green under layer.

“Is that one bad too?” he asks. Seokmin smiles a little, looking like he was ready to laugh.

“Sure, if you give it to Kyungwon to make it into tea. But then again, all of her teas make you want to throw up.”

Mingyu barks a laugh at this, feeling a little blossom of joy in his chest when Seokmin does the same. Kyungwon was banned from making tea by the entire healer team if Mingyu remembers right. Head healer or not, she isn’t trusted. They continue in this fashion, pointing out every plant on a scale of harmless-unless-in-the-teas-of-Kyungwon to even-Jaehyun-would-be-terrified-of-this. Seokmin’s laugh gets a little cuter with every joke Mingyu cracks, hand squeezing Mingyu’s own in a tight grip. A tingle runs down Mingyu’s spine as he watches Seokmin’s eyes curl up into half-moons as his teeth come in full display at a particularly funny one. It feels like the boy had drummed his finger down Mingyu’s back himself with the way Seokmin laughs with his whole body. Jaehyun turns around at one point, shooting him a knowing look before turning around. Mingyu is confused, to say the least.

They travel for the whole day, watching the sky turn blue and orange as the sun starts to set. Eunwoo suggests they make camp in a nearby clearing, and they find a small one by a little cliff. Jaehyun praises her for the choice, pointing out the perfect cover should the need arise. Everyone and their mothers could see the blush on their faces.

“We have rations for twenty-five days,” Eunwoo announces, sliding four cloth packs to the side before stuffing the rest back into her backpack. ‘Her’ backpack is being loosely used here because Jaehyun’s been the one to carry it all day. Seokmin gives her a raised eyebrow.

“That’s a lot.”

Eunwoo shrugs. “Who knows how long we might have to go?”

They eat with chatter, talking about everything about the prophecy to informing Mingyu about everyone and their drama. It was a little scary, how much Eunwoo knows about the villagers. Mingyu had to fight the urge to laugh when Seokmin and Jaehyun were hopelessly lost during Eunwoo’s wild gestures about a certain housewife. Seokmin claims he’s never even heard of her and Jaehyun uses his increasingly repetitive excuse of ‘I lived on a mountain for nine years’. The sky turned dark soon, wispy trails of clouds becoming stars as they lit up the group’s faces. The campfire is flickering, nearly dead but not yet. Every now and then, Jaehyun throws in another stick and keep it going. The jungle looms over their backs menacingly, yet Mingyu can’t believe he’s the only one who feels that way. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the jungle is home to the trio he’s with. Rustling leaves pick up more sounds as a gentle breeze blows by, masking the sound of soft pitter-pattering on the branches.

Wait.

“Gyu? What’s wrong?” Seokmin asks, confusion in his expression. Mingyu ignores him, feeling his mark tingle on his skin. Jaehyun stares at him curiously, before he flicks his eyes up and into the trees.

“You hear it too?” Mingyu asks, staring at Jaehyun. The warrior nods, hand reaching for his daggers as Eunwoo glances between them.

“Hear what?” she asks. Jaehyun shakes his head. In Mingyu’s peripheral vision, hairy black figures leap between the branches. Electricity hums in his veins, crackling along his fingers as he nods at Jaehyun.

“Get to cover!” Jaehyun yells, pulling Seokmin and Eunwoo down as Mingyu lets the electricity explode. It vibrates through the forest, bouncing off tree trunks and frying leaves. A million screeches explode in Mingyu’s ears, ringing like background noise as he twists the strands of electricity around. Three giant spiders jump out at him, as large as Mingyu’s entire body. Their fangs drip green, looking like poison on sharp daggers. Their black fur is crackling with electricity, crimson eyes screaming with rage. Mingyu flinches, recognition filling his vision as he watches the shade of red.  _ Spider Queen Scarlet _ . That was the name of the woman in his dream. In a flash, a figure jumps in front of him, bright red energy exploding from two daggers as they slice two in half. Jaehyun dodges the last spider’s attack, snapping Mingyu into action as he barely sidesteps diving fangs coated in venom. Eunwoo’s yelp fills the air, panic in her eyes as she stares at the spider. Seokmin grabs one Mingyu’s wristband and rubs on one of the jewels, ducking his face away before throwing it like a bomb at the spider. It explodes with electricity, filling the air with burnt fur as more spiders crawl out from the forest.

“Seokmin!” Mingyu yells, running towards the healer. Seokmin grabs Mingyu’s other wristband and throws it to him, grabbing Eunwoo’s wrist to jump behind a boulder. Mingyu grabs the fallen one off the ground and fastens them on his arms, whirling around to find Jaehyun fighting three at once. He lets rage take over, filling his hands with electricity as he jumps in to help. He punches one, watching as the electricity shakes its beady eyes out of its socket. Before he can even feel disgusted at the sight, Jaehyun cuts a different one open in half, enticing more spiders to come.

“We need to run!” Jaehyun calls. Mingyu grits his teeth. A spider comes into view, about to jump when a flying object comes out of nowhere and collides with its head. Wait, was that a shoe?

“Blend your magic! It’ll be more effective!” Eunwoo yells at him. There’s a spider behind her, crawling fast as she and Seokmin run from their cover. Mingyu wants to yell at her to explain when a spider lands on his back. It tries to bite down, nearly succeeding before Mingyu elbows it and shocks it. A hand grabs his left bicep, sending a rush of energy into his tired muscles for Mingyu to burn the spider into a pile of ashes. He turns around, surprise in his face as he finds Seokmin and his mark glowing like a firecracker. He yelps, jumping onto Mingyu to dodge a spider before Mingyu could kill it. In the back, he spits Jaehyun waving a torch at them, Eunwoo glaring at the spiders from behind him. They meet eyes and Mingyu sends him a determined expression.

“Seokie, how much energy can you give me?” Mingyu asks in between his fighting. Seokmin’s turquoise magic curls around Mingyu’s biceps, seeping in for extra power as the healer’s arms shake like a rattlesnake.

“As much as you need,” he murmurs back, two inches away from practically jumping onto Mingyu’s back. Mingyu grins, letting the electricity build in his fists.

“Then give me all of it,” Mingyu growls, kicking a spider into another one before slamming his fists together. He feels a weight jump onto his back as a sudden rush of energy courses through his veins. Seokmin’s breath fans his neck, a sharp intake as he watches the electricity fly out of Mingyu like a bomb.

And then, the world went white.


	5. Chapter 5: Is it hard for you to sleep because of me too? (DK)

_ The world was peaceful. Seokmin was standing at the edge of a wooden fortress of sorts, staring at a field of rocks. It was brown in every direction, littered with dirt and rocks.  _

_ Well, dirt, rocks and the aftermath of what seemed to be a deadly battle. There was a small river behind him, where a million rafts held piles and piles of dead bodies. They were burning, floating into the open sea as a large crowd stood behind on the shore. Even in a dream, the air was palpable, heavy and filled with the scent of tears. Seokmin stared at the little circle of people at the forefront of the crowd, twelve figures of varying heights holding varying weapons. One had a large black overcoat with silver linings, a large broadsword on his back. Holding his left hand was a figure with light brown hair and a white cloak stained with blood. He had a bow on his shoulder and a quiver on his lower back, looking like he was on the verge of tears. His left side was flanked by a blond man, wearing a light yellow cloak. His hand held a purple and yellow staff with tendrils of light rolling off of it. On the very right end, two men stood side by side as they watched the sky. One had bright red hair, a double-edged sword slung on his back. The other had pitch-black hair, pale skin and a wicked-looking purple scythe in one hand. Their left side had a curious sight. There was a boy with light brown curls and an intricate-looking wrist guard on one hand, the other holding hands with a faded figure. The faded figure resembled a ghost, mint green flames dancing along his skin that you’d have to look closely to notice. His hair was blond, a rapier strapped on his waist. On his shoulder was an otter, dark fur exuding an air of power. Next to them stood two more figures. One had a fox-like face and two scimitars on his hips; one had ice travelling down his fingertips and into two daggers. At last, Seokmin reached the end of the line, eyes lingering on a curiously skinny man, holding a very long stick that looked like it could whack really hard. And then, his eyes landed on the last two figures. _

_ Seokmin gasped, hands coming up to cover his mouth as he processes the sight. The last two figures were Mingyu and Seokmin himself, matching grim expressions on their faces as they stared at the water. Slowly, Dream-Seokmin stared up at Seokmin and smiled wistfully. He opened his mouth, and suddenly the wind picked up. _

_ “Remember them.” _

Seokmin wakes up with a start. He nearly collides with Jaehyun’s nose, instead banging their foreheads together. Jaehyun widens his eyes in pleasant surprise and relief, not even caring for the bump forming on his forehead. He breaks into a wide smile, wrapping Seokmin in a big hug.

“Thank god you’re okay,” Jaehyun whispers. Seokmin leans into the hug, looking over Jaehyun’s shoulder to see Eunwoo staring at him with a relieved smile. Next to her, Mingyu’s dopey smile greets Seokmin. The little scar on his lips practically calls out Seokmin for staring before the healer could catch himself. Pulling away, Seokmin smiles at Jaehyun.

“What happened?” Seokmin asks. Eunwoo rolls her eyes.

“You supercharged this thunderstorm here,” she gestures at Mingyu, who waves shyly, “and went kaboom on the spiders. Jae barely pulled me behind cover. I had a fried spider in my hair for two days!”

Seokmin’s eyes blow open at the same time Jaehyun hisses.

“Two days?!” Seokmin yelps. Mingyu sends him a sympathetic smile.

“You were out for five days, actually. I woke up the next day, but I think that was your doing.”

Eunwoo walks over and sits down next to him. Then, she pinches Seokmin’s arm, earning a yelp before Seokmin meets her mother hen gaze.

“No more of that, got it?”

Seokmin gulps, rubbing his arm. “Yes ma’am,” he mutters. Jaehyun shoots him a toothy grin.

“Breakfast? We’ve nearly reached the heart,” Jaehyun offers. Seokmin smiles at his best friend.

“Sounds perfect.”

Seokmin learns that Mingyu had been the one to watch him for the first four days, insisting to be the one to carry him and protect him despite the lack of another attack. Jaehyun had barely gotten the guy to change shifts on the last day, and Eunwoo teases Mingyu to no end for it.

“I owed him one,” Mingyu admits, although his eyes are an odd kind of sheepish. Seokmin peers at him curiously, heart scrunching up in an indecipherable feeling as he watches the stranger that rolled into his life like an armadillo. Mingyu already consumes his every thought, and now he does this kind of stuff?

“I’m going to combust at this rate,” Seokmin whispers to Eunwoo once they’re on their way again. Mingyu’s behind them, watching for any approaching creatures while Jaehyun takes the lead, natural sense of direction leading them further into the jungle. Eunwoo is by his side, a teasing grin on her face.

“He’s pretty much the same, y’know?” she whispers back. Seokmin wrinkles his nose.

“No, he isn’t.”

Eunwoo rolls her eyes. “He was like, having a meltdown just holding your hand on the first day. And while you were out, he wouldn’t stop to even breathe unless you woke up. It was adorable for like two hours until I got annoyed.”

Seokmin frowns. “He’s just trying to make us even.”

Eunwoo snorts. “Sure, lover boy.”

Seokmin pushes her. Eunwoo’s wrong. Mingyu’s just a good friend, right? With that in mind, Seokmin sends her a knowing look.

“And what about you, lover girl?”

Eunwoo groans. “How many times do I have to tell you, he’s not interested in me!”

Jaehyun turns around from the front. “Who’s not interested?”

Eunwoo stops in her tracks, eyes widening as she starts to stutter.

“I— uh— well—“

Seokmin jumps in. “Jinhan. From the healers.”

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t he gay?”

Seokmin shrugs. “He could be bi.”

Jaehyun seems to take the answer, turning around as Eunwoo breathes a sigh of relief.

“You’re welcome,” Seokmin teases. Eunwoo punches his arm weakly.

“Shut up. It was your fault to start with anyway.”

Seokmin opens his mouth to retort when Jaehyun stops in his tracks. He slowly backs up, putting a finger on his lips as he stares at Seokmin and Eunwoo purposefully. The message is clear, they are to run and hide. Mingyu steps up from behind Seokmin, moving to join Jaehyun. His hand lingers next to Seokmin’s for a second before passing and grazing Seokmin’s fingers. The pair moves in silence, stalking around the bush as Seokmin and Eunwoo duck behind a bush. From the trees, a figure stumbles out, frantically trying to move through vines that crawled along the jungle floor. His hands glow pink, gesturing around as the jungle bends to his will, building a small wall behind him. Voices shout in the distance, sounding louder as they approach. The figure glares at the sound, but he starts to run again. Jaehyun and Mingyu exchange glances from behind two trees. Before anyone could try to decipher what was happening, an arrow flies out of nowhere, stabbing the stumbling man’s arm against a tree. He bites down his lips, visibly in pain as he seems to swallow a scream. Eunwoo clutches Seokmin’s forearm in shock, drawing a small breath and breaking the silence. The man whirls his head towards the bush Seokmin and Eunwoo was hiding behind, the pair ducking low before they can be seen. Still, the man’s face had been visible. Seokmin tries to calm his racing heart, mind catching up as he recognizes him from his dream. Loud yelling comes from the clearing, moving towards the man as Seokmin dare take a peek again. A Noxian soldier jumps out, insignia on his shield as he points at the man, yelling for his comrades. Seokmin looks over at Mingyu and Jaehyun, who seethe with anger now that they’ve determined who the enemy is. Seokmin looks back at the man, meeting his gaze and nearly jumping in shock.

The look is steel. Scary and terrifying and downright frightening. He glares at them as if asking for help in an ‘I’m going to kill you otherwise’ fashion. Seokmin only gulps. From the tree line, the soldiers catch up, and they slowly approach the man.

“Well, well, well, couldn’t run very far, eh fox?” the leading soldier snickers. The man growls low in his throat.

“You got lucky,” he spat, deep voice dripping with venom. His breath is shallow and short, obviously in pain. Mingyu and Jaehyun circle around the scene, waiting for a perfect chance. The soldiers don’t seem to notice them.

“It’s all skill, pretty boy. You’re not the first to run, although I must admit, you’re the first to have help. I’m sure we’ll have fun with your pretty comrade.”

The man’s eyes widen, glaring daggers as if he’s about to gouge the soldier’s eyes out. Silently, pink energy swirls around him, flowing out if his shoulder, where a pretty little diamond heart peeks out from under his ripped shirt. Seokmin has to stop himself from gasping. Suddenly, the ground opens up and a million tendrils of vines jump up, wrapping the soldier’s ankles. They seem used to it though, calmly cutting through thick green tendrils with their daggers. Still, the man is even faster, ripping the arrow out of his arm and throwing more magic at the soldiers. The world blurs into a series of actions too fast for Seokmin to even be able to process. From behind the bushes, Jaehyun and Mingyu climb onto a nearby branch, waiting to strike. A soldier stumbles, swallowed by the green vines as he drops his knife. He yelps, scrambling to right himself before he gets a face full of a worn leather boot. Seokmin stifles a laugh, watching as Jaehyun uses a face as a foothold. The soldiers are surprised by the attack, not noticing Jaehyun’s presence until three have already fallen. Mingyu joins his tail, lightning crackling along his knuckles as he attacks. By the time the guards free themselves, there’s only about seven left against three. One of them charges, raising his sword as he jumps towards Jaehyun. The warrior pushes the mysterious man out of the way, earning a surprised growl before he ducks under the sword. He fights, in the words of Jung Eunwoo, like a ninja, all acrobatic and agile.

“We need to heal his arm,” Eunwoo whispers to Seokmin, cocking her head in the direction of the mysterious man. Seokmin nods, getting on his knees to crawl down. He barely dodges an arrow, a shield and a flying body before he lands next to the mysterious man clutching his forearm in pain.

“Hey, I’m not going to kill you,” Seokmin greets. The man flinches at his presence, swirling pink mist curling around his uninjured hand as he glares at Seokmin. The healer inhales deeply, channelling his turquoise magic into his fingertips. Before the man can attack, Seokmin grabs ahold of his forearm, clutching it as he forces the wound to knit itself back together. The man still, curiosity on his face as he watches the wound with scrutiny.

“Who are you?” he asks. Seokmin almost recoils in fear, feeling like he was about to be vaporized if his answer was unsatisfactory.

“S-Seokmin! I- uh- um- well t-there’s th-this!” Seokmin squeaks, pulling up his sleeve fully to show his mark. The man cocks his head at this, amusement in his eyes as he watches Seokmin stutter. Slowly, his eyes trail down to Seokmin’s shoulder. Could he get any scarier?

Suddenly, the man’s eyes fly wide open. He snarls, jumping to his feet and gripping Seokmin’s shirt in a fist. Yup. He got scarier. Seokmin lets out a pathetic little whimper, ready to curl into a fetus position and hide when the man starts to speak.

“Why is that on your arm?”

Seokmin squeaks. “I-I don’t know!”

The man growls, eyes flickering like he was looking for something in Seokmin’s eyes.  _ Please don’t kill me please don’t kill me please don’t— _

Seokmin land on the floor with a thud. He watches as the man returns to battle, moving at a speed and with the strength of ten soldiers. Jaehyun catches his entrance, excitement dancing in his eyes as he breaks into a grin. Mingyu throws the last soldier at the scary man, and Seokmin can only watch in mild horror as the man grabs the soldier that taunted him by the throat.

“Y-you won’t get away with this,” the soldier gasps, fumbling at the man’s arm. The man’s face morphs into a cruel smile, all villain-like and terrifying. Apparently, he could get even scarier.

“But I already have.”

The soldier hits the ground with a sickening crack, his neck hanging at an unnatural and mortifying angle. The man turns to Seokmin, venom in his eyes.

“Explain your magic, now!”


	6. Chapter 6: I’m a bit careless and clumsy (WW)

“Hey, wake up,” a voice whispers. Wonwoo’s eyelids fly open, automatically ready to fight as he springs up from the cold, hard floor. The threadbare mattress they give prisoners does nothing to ease the terrible crick in his back. He rubs his eyes when he sees Minkyung’s fox-like eyes in front of him. She’s smiling, looking over her shoulders every now and then.

“They’re changing guards. You got the flower?” she whispers. Wonwoo nods, calling out with his magic for Nightmare’s Breath. Navy blue petals bloom in his hands, growing from a tiny spot of dirt he grabbed on the way back. He hands Minkyung the flower, ignoring the teasing smile she sends him.

“Get on with it,” Wonwoo hisses. Minkyung straightens, tiptoeing over sleeping bodies to reach the guard. She stuffs the flower between the bar with her two fingers, waiting as the scent catches the guard’s nose. He slumps down, falling just in grasp for Minkyung to pick up his single key. The Noxians are smart, only leaving one key to the guard. Still, it was the right key.

Wonwoo and Minkyung slip out relatively peacefully, only having to subdue a few guards on the way. Torches light their way up, leading the pair down one winding path to another. Finally, they arrive at a gate, locked by a scary-looking skull padlock. Minkyung slips out her skeleton key, inserting it into the lock and twisting it gently. The lock opens with a soft click, creaking open without alerting anyone. Wonwoo throws a glance in both directions before following Minkyung into the room. At the very back, a tiny circle barely large enough for a human to fit through sits unassumingly. The lid is closed, steel bar hanging like an invitation. Wonwoo almost smiles at this. Almost.

“How do you screw up this badly?” Wonwoo wonders aloud. Minkyung rolls her eyes.

“I don’t know, but I’m not complaining,” she smiles, swiping up the bar and swinging herself into the chute. It’s surprisingly clean for a food disposal chute and also surprisingly easy to access. There’s only a single gate between the prisoner’s camp and the kitchen area, locked by the same kind of locks as the rest of the camp. Wonwoo would’ve preferred to just break the lock, but Minkyung assured him the camp didn’t screw up that badly, and that the lock being broken would surely sound the alarm. Regardless, it was still pretty stupid of them to leave such an obvious and easily usable escape like this open. Wonwoo follows her down, wind whistling in his ears as his legs graze the edge of Minkyung’s hair. They land without much fanfare, making only a soft thud. Wonwoo takes an inhale, filtering past the distinct stench of day-old food to find a familiar scent. A scent he was marked with at birth, meant to ground him even in the most foreign of places. His eyes search the forest backdrop, looking past his the black tufts of hairfor a tiny little flower, covered in white petals and clinging onto the ground. It was everything Wonwoo was, resilient, adaptable, strong and ready for any storm. A small, parasitic—

“Daisy?” Minkyung’s voice cuts in. Wonwoo blinks, the moment fading already as his face settles into an ever-familiar scowl.

“Don’t call me that.”

Minkyung grins. “You won’t have to hear me call you anything from now on, so long as we don’t get caught.” She pauses, as if hesitating. “Safe travels, I guess, wherever you’re going.”

“West,” Wonwoo elaborates, “I need to get home.” Standing up, Wonwoo dusts himself off and moves to leave, not noticing a burning gaze on him until the very last second. He turns around, finding Minkyung still sitting cross-legged and staring at him. There’s something in her eyes, a kind of sadness and happiness at the same time.

“What?” Wonwoo asks. Minkyung’s smile falters.

“Good luck to me too, then,” she whispers softly and Wonwoo realizes exactly what the strange emotion in her eyes is. Wistfulness swarms the air, something unspoken in the way Minkyung’s disappointment hangs like a broken promise.

“You know I don’t feel the same, right?” Wonwoo says, trying to sound cold although a twinge of guilt surrounds him. Minkyung doesn’t respond, only smiling sadly again before standing up and dusting herself off.

“There’s this little magical thing—“ she starts, voice soft and laced with the heartbreak in her eyes. Slowly, Minkyung turns away.

“—called hope.”

Wonwoo doesn’t know how they picked up on his trail. He doubled back. He faked left and right. He made the jungle cover up every trace a human even traversed these terrains, and yet they still found him. Maybe they have a soldier with nature magic too, and maybe Wonwoo was deemed important enough for them to expand their resources to catch him. A sense of pride blooms in his chest, a twisted kind of feeling Wonwoo revels in. If only mother could see him now.

Well.

Maybe not RIGHT now.

“Stop moving,” a feminine voice chides. Wonwoo glares at the source, balling up his fist to punch her when the she-devil presses a piece of cloth onto the nasty cut on his cheek. Wonwoo hisses, itching for a fight when two strong arms hold him back. The woman gives him an unimpressed look. Eunwoo, if Wonwoo recalls correctly.

“Do that again and I’ll do worse than Mender’s Hold,” she deadpans, back to cleaning up his wound. Wonwoo grumbles, deciding to relax regardless. The pair of arms around him lets him down, sitting down in front of him with a glare. Jaehyun, if memory serves.

“You’ll pay for this.”

Jaehyun sighs. “How much of an asshole do you have to be? We’re literally spending our resources to help you.”

Wonwoo grumbles. “I never ask—“

The cloth is back on his cheek.

A yelp leaves Wonwoo’s throat, murder dripping from his gaze as he spots a cheeky smile. It feels vaguely familiar. Very vaguely. Minkyung fills his brain again and Wonwoo wants to strangle someone just to make himself feel better.

“I’d like to see you survive on your own,” Eunwoo says, already back to work. Wonwoo moves to retort when someone clears their throat. Wonwoo turns to the noise, finding the same boy from before. Seokmin. Right. The boy flinches at his gaze, his friend putting a comforting hand on his shoulder to calm Seokmin down. Wonwoo almost feels bad. Almost. Regardless, he tries to soften up a little. Almost immediately, Seokmin recoils in shock, but a timid smile spreads on his lips.

_ You’d be surprised how far a little kindness goes,  _ a voice echoes in Wonwoo’s mind. He slips into the forest, letting the plants calm him for the hellish duration of whatever conversation was to come.

“What,” Wonwoo starts. There’s peace lily chiding him in the back of his mind, frowning through telepathy. Seokmin doesn’t flinch this time, and any hint of fun in this conversation dissipates.

“Well, I think this,” Seokmin gestures to his shoulder, “means something important. Considering we’re chasing a prophecy, I’d venture a guess you’ll be important.”

Wonwoo hums in thought, probably the gentlest he’s ever been.

“What’s your prophecy?”

Seokmin’s friend clears his throat. Mango, or something.

“ _ Deep inside the Jungle’s heart, the shield of life will fall apart. Where friends are lost and enemies fight, give it your light or pay the price. A heart’s last whisper will save our hope, let magic’s home aid your elope. A diamond heart to guide one home, where answers lie in past’s tome,” _ Ringo recites.

Wonwoo sits back, pain flaring on his cheek as Eunwoo dabs there again. He’s about to snap when the laurels raise their judgemental eyebrows at him. Bastards. Whatever.

“I don’t know much about your prophecy outside of a few observations.”

Seokmin nods. “We’ll take anything.”

“In Ixtalian, ‘heart’s whisper’ is Eunwoo. If I had to venture a guess, it’ll have something to do with the demon trying to kill me here.”

Eunwoo smirks. “You’re welcome.”

Limbo raises a curious eyebrow. “Old Ionian is Ixtalian?”

Wonwoo snorts. “You all speak Common, and Common evolved from Ixtalian. Did you lose your head or something?”

Penguin makes a face and sits back. Seokmin pats his back, a gesture of comfort that’s sickeningly sweet from Wonwoo’s perspective. Satisfied, Wonwoo continues.

“Ionia is obviously ‘magic’s home’, and I suppose that’s where I come in since I can communicate with the land.”

Jaehyun gasps. “Nature magic?”

Wonwoo barrels on, ignoring him. “Diamond heart refers to the marks, I suppose, although my home is much different than yours. Otherwise, I don’t know much else.”

Seokmin nods, breaking into a smile. “Thank you. That’s so much more than what we have.”

Wonwoo almost snorts again. Almost. “As expected.”

Dingo frowns. “What’s your problem?”

Wonwoo shrugs. “You’re proving yourself less and less useful by the minute, Pongu.”

“Who?”

“You. Lost puppy face,” Wonwoo gestures. Mimo raises an eyebrow.

“My name is Mingyu.”

Wonwoo revels in his victory internally. Externally, he’s the very image of expressionless. “And I don’t care.”

Seokmin sighs. He stands up, shooting Wonwoo a tired look laced with fear before opening his mouth to speak. “Boys, play nice. We’re trying to help each other. We’ll be heading further inland tomorrow. I suppose you don’t want a sleeping bag?”

Wonwoo growls low in his throat. Next to Seokmin, Window narrows his eyes at Wonwoo.

“Don’t patronize—“

The cloth hisses along Wonwoo’s skin, a thousand times more painful than usual as it seemingly burns through his skin.

“What the hell?”

Eunwoo smiles at him, victory in her eyes as she places a small bandaid over his cut. Then, she stands up and packs up her tools into a little bag. Jaehyun follows her and Mint Guy pulls Seokmin with him away. Eunwoo pauses, turning around to face Wonwoo.

“Not hell, just mending sap.”


	7. Chapter 7: On the sketchbook of my brain, I draw you every day (MG)

_ Mingyu wakes up in a dream. At this point, it becomes a routine of sorts. He watches some fragments of someone’s life, jumping between the point of view of a little pirate boy and strangers from around Runeterra. So far he’s found ghosts from the Cursed Isles, Yordles searching for life in the desert of Shurima to even goats on the slopes of Mount Targon. It’s a little terrifying, knowing how big the world is. Mingyu feels tiny compared to it. _

_ Today, it’s none of those. _

_ There’s a girl, the same one from nearly a week ago, staring at him with impatient eyes as she checks a little clock in her hand. There’s a silver chain on it, wrapping around her delicate fingers as she stares at Mingyu. _

_ “You’re late,” she says curtly. Mingyu rolls his eyes.  _

_ “Sorry, got caught up fighting for my own life.” _

_ The girl ignores him, twisting a big golden knob on the side of the clock with furrowed brows. _

_ “I have to shorten it now. The dream walker will wake soon.” _

_Mingyu frowns. “Who?”_ _  
__The girl sends him a miffed expression. “No one for now. You need to focus on guiding the healer towards his Ascension. The land’s vessel has been sent to aid you, but he can’t help you much.”_

_ Mingyu snorts. “More like won’t.” _

_ The girl glares at him but doesn’t move to retort. She clicks her knob, looking into Mingyu’s eyes with frustration. The room whirls around, winds suddenly picking up out of nowhere and turning Mingyu’s vision into nothing but a haze of obscurity. _

_ “The watchers have disrupted much of our preparations,” the girl shouts, “we are losing the dream walker as we speak and four of ours are now susceptible to the Watcher’s influence. We cannot spare anymore to help you on your quest, storm caller. You must succeed.” _

_ Mingyu yells for the girl to explain, but the world turns blurry soon enough. Spots dance in his vision, deep black like the night sky he fell asleep under, except there’s no stars. Mingyu blinks, trying to regain his senses as the yellow room dissipates. It’s replaced by a small wooden room, decorated in rotting wooden planks and the faint smell of something putrid. Mingyu absentmindedly searches for any windows or doors he could run to, out of instinct. _

“Don’t look, it’s useless,” a voice interrupts Mingyu. He turns to the source, finding a frail-looking boy with a mop of messy chestnut hair and tattered clothes. His eyes are deep purple and glowing, just like the aura around his body. There’s a large metal mask on his face, covering the bottom half and connected to a large backpack swung over his shoulders. He looks sad, in a way, underneath layers of apparent exhaustion.

“Who are you?” Mingyu tries. The boy’s eyes become almost depressing to look at.

“No one, for now. None of your concerns, if the world has its way with me. We don’t have much time.”

Mingyu resists the urge to roll his eyes and say ‘yeah the other girl said so too’. Instead, he crosses his arms. “Why am I here?”

The boy sighs. “Jieqiong is really useless, isn’t she? Not a single tidbit of information,” he mutters. Then, he turns to stare intently at Mingyu’s arms, shifting his weight on skinny legs.

“I’m here to give you a warning,” the boy answers, to Mingyu’s delightful surprise, “about one of your companions.”

Mingyu frowns. “Who?”

The boy shrugs. “I don’t know. Jieqiong doesn’t tell me anything. All I know is that she can’t tell you it by oath, and that I’m supposed to be the messenger.”

Mingyu stares at the boy, urging him to continue. He, thankfully, complies.

“You will remember. The healer can give you your memories back, but you need to accept that they’re there. Nothing good will come if you cling onto your old life.”

The amnesiac frowns. “What do you mean?”

The boy gives him a sad smile. “You are not defined by your past. Remember that.”

Mingyu wakes up with a pounding headache. He wishes he would blame it on whatever just happened in his dream, but it sadly has to do with the newly formed bump on his head instead.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay? I swear it was an accident, please don’t kill me, I was just trying to pack up but Wonwoo was outside, and you know how terrified I am of him, and so I walked back in here to hide but your head was right in the way, and so I—”

“Minnie, breathe,” Mingyu cuts in, placing a soothing hand on Seokmin’s back. At least, he intends it to be soothing. Seokmin stops himself, letting himself sit back as he stares at Mingyu with sheepish eyes.

“I’m really sorry,” Seokmin mumbles. Mingyu bites back a chuckle, patting Seokmin’s hair gently as he stands up and stretches. Residues of the dream pool at the back of his mind, and Mingyu chooses to ignore it for one day.

“It’s really all fine, okay?” Mingyu assures him gently. Seokmin cocks his head a little, eyes all big and worried, and Mingyu has to roll his eyes. Seokmin’s adorable like this, but the others are probably waiting for them. Shooting his friend a comforting smile, Mingyu pulls him to his feet.

“Come on. Let’s get breakfast before Jaehyun eats it all.”

Seokmin snorts, returning to his normal cheery demeanor. “More like Nunu, you mean.”

“How do get past that?”

Mingyu tears his eyes away from the scenery (read: Seokmin’s fluffy hair) and whips his head to the voice. Jaehyun meets his gaze, gesturing at the roadblock in front of them. They’re on one side of a vast canyon, one that continues on seemingly forever. There’s a single fragile rope bridge between the canyon, rigged with fraying ropes and rotting wooden planks. Termites crawl around the middle pieces, further sending Mingyu into alert mode. Overhead, a large stone canopy hangs over their head with pure magic, barely tall enough for Mingyu to stand under. Wonwoo walks in front of them, casually putting one foot onto the first plank before any of them can even call out to him. The plank, predictably, falls apart immediately. Turning around, Wonwoo sighs.

“I can carry two people at once over the canyon with the vines. The bridge isn’t going to be an option.”

Jaehyun nods at this, staring around to search for the first volunteer. Mingyu’s a little amazed, how naturally his leadership comes. The others automatically fall in line.

“Eunwoo?” Jaehyun calls out. Eunwoo snaps to attention, confusion on her face. Something flickers in Jaehyun’s eyes, uncatchable and unrecognizable as he sends her a small smile.

“Why don’t you go first?” Jaehyun suggests. Eunwoo opens her mouth to ask why when Wonwoo’s deep voice injects into the conversation.

“I’m not carrying the she-devil,” he growls. Eunwoo’s cheeks heat up, flushing in a hilarious shade of red as her fists ball up on her side.

“Yes, you are. In fact, you’re going to carry me over first,” Eunwoo huffs, stomping over to the edge of the canyon. She stares at Wonwoo expectantly.

“Well?”

Wonwoo scowls. “Fine. If you fall, I’m not taking responsibility.”

Jaehyun frowns at this. “You’re carrying her though.”

Wonwoo shrugs. “This is an experiment at best, not a safe guarantee.”

“You can’t just offer to kill someone?”  
“I’m not. I’m asking for them to take a calculated risk.”

Jaehyun’s face heats up, his fists balling and his body surging forward and towards Wonwoo with murder in his eyes. Mingyu catches the action, intercepting his path and holding his fists down as Eunwoo clears her throat.

“Jae,” she says loudly, “I’ll be fine. Let’s get on with it.”

Jaehyun twitches, looking like he was on the verge of arguing back as he glares at Wonwoo. Eunwoo holds her gaze, firm determination in them as she tries to soothe Jaehyun. Wonwoo, the asshole, just looks bored.

“Whenever you’re done deciding, we’ll start.”

Jaehyun mumbles something under his breath but stands down. Mingyu relaxes his hold, feeling Seokmin tap on his biceps to gently pull him away from the tense situation. They line up next to the canyon to watch as Wonwoo joins Eunwoo by the edge. A group of vines groan and shakes off dirt as Wonwoo opens his palms, willing the vines to move through their earthen home and to his command. He mutters something in what Mingyu assumes to be the ancient language (or Ixtalian, as Wonwoo called it), twisting the vines into a braided basket of sorts, before turning to Eunwoo.

“Coming, m’lady?” Wonwoo offers, sarcasm dripping from his tone. Eunwoo sticks her nose into the air, ignoring Wonwoo’s offered hand and situating herself into the basket. Wonwoo joins her momentarily, sitting just across from the healer as he tells the vines to bring them over. Jaehyun tenses up next to Mingyu, the very pinnacle of nervous as he watches Eunwoo swing across. They make it halfway through, barely touching their heads on the stone rooftop when Mingyu spots something moving out of the corner of his eyes. Mingyu widens his eyes, tensing up as he realizes what it is. Next to him Seokmin frowns.

“Wha—”  
“Spider!” Mingyu yells. Wonwoo jumps at the sound, brows furrowing as he threatens to snap with gaze alone before Eunwoo slaps him. She yells something at him, but Mingyu is too preoccupied staring at the advancing spiders in horror to hear her properly. They’re just like the ones before, wicked looking silver fangs laced in poison and black, hairy bodies as they crawl up the cavern walls. Their red eyes drip with intent as they stare right at Mingyu. Somehow, Mingyu can almost make out the word ‘revenge’ in their bone-chilling hisses.

“What do we do?” Seokmin whispers, clinging onto Mingyu’s arm in fear. Jaehyun tenses up beside him, watching with panic in his eyes at Wonwoo. The plant whisperer has a scowl on his face as he pulls roots from above them to stab the spiders. The creatures hiss and fall to their death, but more just replace them. Mingyu grits his teeth.

“Just make it to the other side, we’ll catch up later!” Mingyu yells. Eunwoo looks back at him and nods, eyes flickering with something when she meets Jaehyun’s gaze. Nevertheless, she turns around to yell something at Wonwoo again. Seokmin yelps next to him, and Mingyu turns around to find five spiders approaching.

“Could you do the supercharge thing again? In moderate amounts this time?” Mingyu whispers. Seokmin gulps but give him a little nod. With a deep breath, the healer closes his eyes and lets his turquoise magic roll off his arms in waves. Mingyu absorbs the new found energy, willing currents of electricity in his body to surface as he turns to the spiders with a smirk.

“Hello there.”

Jaehyun’s the first to charge. For some reason, he’s ruthless. Mingyu doesn’t question it, shooting electricity behind Jaehyun like arrows from a makeshift energy bow. Seokmin clings onto him for dear life, eyes squeezed shut in fear and concentration. Mingyu lets off multiple arrows in rapid succession, shooting down spiders as soon as they arrive before turning towards the open cavern instead. Roots dangle from the top like a willow canopy on a rainy day, except the rain is replaced by hairy spider legs and body parts.  _ Disgusting,  _ Mingyu thinks to himself before firing off more bolts to help. Wonwoo and Eunwoo are almost there, only a few meters away from the opposite ledge when a spider drops down in surprise. Eunwoo’s shriek fills the cavern, making Wonwoo jump just in time for the spider to leap onto him. Even from a distance, Mingyu can see it sink its fangs into Wonwoo’s shoulder. Seokmin’s hand fills his side vision, outstretched as he shouts something in what Mingyu assumes to be the old language. His turquoise energy hums with power, moving nine tendrils as they shoot across the cavern. It glows with bright blue runes, seeping into Wonwoo’s body as he throws the spider off his basket. Mingyu grits his teeth, zapping the spider away before going on patrol duty for any more spiders. Wonwoo stares at the magic in wonder, eyes curious as he regards Seokmin. Asshole. Not even a thank you.

“You good?” Mingyu murmurs. Seokmin nods, letting his hand slip into Mingyu’s as he keeps the other hand outstretched. There’s a shock down Mingyu’s spine, and not from his magic either. Colour dusts his cheeks before he can realize it, too focused on seeing Eunwoo and Wonwoo across safely. Eunwoo, mostly. They land without fanfare, mostly just walking out as Wonwoo rolls his shoulders and stretches. Then, a wicked look possesses his gaze. Mingyu doesn’t need to hear him to know what’s to come.

_ The spiders won’t even know what hit them _ , Mingyu thinks, grin on his face. He turns to help Jaehyun with their own spider problem when a loud crack fills the air. Seokmin yelps in Mingyu’s ear.

“What was that?”

Mingyu’s eyes dart around, trying to find the source when he sees it. Sunlight pours into the cavern, filtering past roots and rocks but still undeniably there. Mingyu jumps back, clutching Seokmin as he yells for Jaehyun.

“It’s going to collapse!” he shouts. Jaehyun nods in understanding, kicking a spider away before hightailing it out of there. The rocks creak and groan, collapsing with a sickening crack as they fill the cavern with darkness. Mingyu grips Seokmin’s arm like how a ship hangs onto its anchor, heart pounding as he pulls Seokmin closer to his chest. Jaehyun joins them soon enough, launching himself past the falling rubble and into the outside clearing. Mingyu moves to throw Seokmin over when something hard sinks into his shin. He cries out, recognizing the hairy feeling immediately as the poison sinks in. A weak curse comes out of his mouth as he turns to shake the spider off, yellow spots dancing in his vision. Seokmin’s leg kicks the spider off, magic enveloping Mingyu’s lower body as it cleanses the poison. Still, Mingyu’s lost too much energy, eyes fluttering close before his gaze can land back on Seokmin’s. The last thing he can recognize is terror swimming in Seokmin’s eyes and his desperate pleas of ‘stay with me’. Something swirls in the pit of Mingyu’s stomach at the sight. There’s a voice in the back of his mind, tiny yet so intensely sure as Mingyu realizes he never wants to see that look on Seokmin ever again. He realizes how much he loves the way Seokmin’s mega-watt smile spreads across his face when he laughs. He realizes how endearing Seokmin’s little habits are, and just how much he wishes he could wake up to the face of an angel again, just like this morning. He realizes how many times he’s traced Seokmin’s face mentally, down to every strand of misplaced hair on his forehead.

It’s cruel of his brain, really, to let Mingyu realize this now. It’s cruel, because Mingyu knows he can’t ever admit it. Not without risking whatever they’ve built, and that’s too much.

It’s always going to be too much.


	8. Chapter 8: If this is really all a dream, what do I do? (WW)

“Gyu? Seok? Jae?!”

Wonwoo sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turns to the cavern’s inner walls, squinting due to the poor light conditions. It’s barely lit, only the slightly annoying neon green glow of moss to allow for visibility in the stone cave. Wonwoo experimentally sets his foot on the moss on the floor, brain in full alert for any odd thoughts from the plant. It doesn’t seem to notice him, only going back to humming some god-awful tune. It’s like an earworm, in the worst way possible. Deceptively cheery, probably ready to kill him. Wonwoo steps off, turning around to find Eunwoo still trying to dig through the rubble. He reaches out to the moss around her, transforming them into an odd hand of sorts. With amusement in his mind, Wonwoo wraps it around Eunwoo’s ankle.

The screech she lets out was worth the slap he got.

“What is wrong with you?” Eunwoo hisses once they’re on their way deeper into the tunnel. Wonwoo doesn’t reply, staying focused on the moss’ commentary in his mind. The louder the song becomes, the deeper they’ll be. They need to go in the other direction from this, one not blocked by rubble.

“Like, what crawled up your ass and died?” Eunwoo wonders aloud. She steps on a patch of moss, making the song die down ever so slightly. The message doesn’t vibrate through the rest of the network, though, proving Wonwoo’s theory of a hive mind false. He’s a little miffed at this, of course, but Eunwoo did just relieve his headache ever so slightly. Very slightly.

“Who scares people for fun other than really mean assholes?” Eunwoo complains, probably pouting. Wonwoo sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stops in his tracks. Eunwoo squeaks out a little noise of surprise as Wonwoo slips the moss’ song into the back of his mind. He turns around to face her, glaring as he meets uninterested eyes. She’s absolutely infuriating.

“Well lucky for you, I am one. Now shut up, I’m trying to listen to the moss,” Wonwoo snaps. Eunwoo doesn’t even flinch at this, disappointingly, only levelling her gaze with Wonwoo.

“Are you just a natural-born asshole or are there some home issues?”

Wonwoo scowls. “My home has no concern to you.”

Eunwoo’s eyes fills with confusion, yet a tiny hint of pity fills the chocolate brown orbs. Wonwoo scowls deeper.

“Don’t give me that look,” he grumbles, turning to continue on their path. A hand grabs his bicep, making Wonwoo instinctively counter-attack. Eunwoo ducks, probably expecting it as she turns Wonwoo to face her. Her shirt is crumpled after multiple quick washes, what Wonwoo assumes to be originally white satin material now a faded beige tone on her sun-kissed skin. Her cheeks are puffed out like a blowfish, eyes narrowed so much her brows practically touch. Concern is written all over her features, twisting something ugly in the pit of Wonwoo’s stomach.

“Wonwoo, what’s wrong?”

Wonwoo cocks his head to the side. “Are you giving me the talk?”

Eunwoo crosses her arms, sighing as she rolls her eyes. “This is an intervention. Before you go further down the path of Assholery.”

Wonwoo huffs, starting to turn around and leave when Eunwoo grabs his shoulders and pushes down. He’s shocked into a sitting position, half-sprawled out on the floor as Eunwoo gives him a death glare.

“Talk. Now.”

Wonwoo growls. “I have nothing to confess.”

They hold steeled gazes for what seems like hours, so intense electricity could probably spark before Eunwoo’s soften into pity. Wonwoo’s stomach churns at the sight. Pity involves weakness. Wonwoo is not weak.

“Not physically, sure. But definitely emotionally,” Eunwoo sighs. Wonwoo’s eyes fly open, not realizing he said that out loud. Eunwoo just gives him a sad smile.

“Nah, you didn’t say anything. It’s my gift.”

Wonwoo sends her a puzzled look. “You’re reading my mind.”

Eunwoo bites her bottom lip. “You left me no choice.”

Something breaks. There’s a million walls that shatters like a glass bowl in Wonwoo’s head, something he locked away for ages spilling out as if someone has forcibly yanked it out of his mind. Anger flares up in Wonwoo, rolling off of him in waves as he lurches forward. Eunwoo falls back, eyes widening in fear, yet that underlying line of pity just won’t go away.

“Get out,” Wonwoo hisses. Eunwoo gulps. From this close up, Wonwoo can finally notice a tiny little circle of gold in her eyes that probably wasn’t there before (he didn’t exactly make a habit of staring into her eyes). His walls build themselves back up, knitting back the holes of memories to his previously steeled demeanour. Eunwoo’s eyes glow even brighter, and Wonwoo’s anger rises.

“Get out!” he screams, pinning Eunwoo to the ground. The girl lets out a muffled scream, eyes squeezing shut as Wonwoo tries to force her out of his mind. In that split second of Wonwoo relaxing his grip, Eunwoo flares open her eyes and knees him in the groin. A groan builds up in Wonwoo’s throat as he was shoved off, landing on the side of the cave with pain shooting through his body as he tries to glare at Eunwoo. His eyes meet hers and the pity is back, except a million times more intense. His stomach flips at the sight, elbows automatically digging into the ground to sit himself up straight as he (fails to) glare at Eunwoo.

“Wonwoo, I- I’m so-”

A hiss. “Don’t. Say. A. Word.”

Eunwoo bites her bottom lip, hesitant hand reaching out as if she wanted to give Wonwoo a hug. Wonwoo smacks her hand away with a hiss and a glare, but Eunwoo is insistent. She wraps her arms around Wonwoo in the world’s most awkward, one-sided pity hug ever. Strangely, Wonwoo doesn’t immediately hate it.

“This changes nothing,” Wonwoo tries to growl, although it comes out as a soft murmur. Oh no. He’s becoming soft. Eunwoo makes an unidentifiable noise, only squeezing Wonwoo a little harder. Much against his will, Wonwoo can’t find it in himself to peel the girl off.

“You big baby. You poor big baby who doesn’t deserve what hap—”

Wonwoo coughs. “That’s enough.”

Eunwoo doesn’t let go. She stares up at Wonwoo with big sad eyes and pity all around her aura. It’s almost condescending. _ I’m not looking down on you _ , Eunwoo’s voice echoes in his head. Wonwoo jumps, glaring at Eunwoo’s head.

“Please never do that again.”

Eunwoo detaches, wide grin on her face. Victory swims in her smile, stabbing Wonwoo in the guts. Not very hard though, much to his surprise. The little witch must be messing with his head, of—  
“Was it so hard to say please?” Eunwoo chirps. Wonwoo’s face heats up, and he throws a non-committal punch at her arm. Two sides of Wonwoo scream at him, one telling him to punch harder because he wasn’t raised a weakling, one calling him an asshole for keeping up this front for 10 years. The second one sounds too similar to someone Wonwoo would rather forget.

“Speak of this to no one,” Wonwoo mumbles. Eunwoo flashes him a grin, standing up and dusting off her pants before offering Wonwoo an outstretched hand. In another story, Wonwoo’s heart would probably have skipped a beat.

Not this one.

Wonwoo growls, flicking her hand away as he stands up. He charges ahead without sparing Eunwoo a glance, revelling in the confusion on her face. His mind filters her out, refusing to let a target in ever again. He can’t afford another person knowing.

“It’s okay to have a dark past, you know!” Eunwoo calls out, footsteps echoing as she runs to catch up with Wonwoo. Wonwoo ignores her.

“‘You are not defined by your past,’” Eunwoo quotes, reaching out to grab Wonwoo’s arm again. He dodges her, gaze steeling.

“Don’t go all proverbs on me,” Wonwoo growls. Eunwoo rolls her eyes, still insistent.

“Leave me alone,” Wonwoo hisses. Eunwoo, predictably, doesn’t.

“You’re prickly, I get it. You’ve got trust issues, I get it. You’ve got a terrible past, I get it. But I don’t get why you have to carry that forward!”

Wonwoo fumes, turning around and pushing Eunwoo back. Rage swims in his vision, voice elevating multiple volumes as he explodes.

“You don’t know shit! So stop trying to pity me!”

Eunwoo’s face flushes red. “So what if I don’t know? I know you have to move on, that’s for sure.”

Wonwoo’s eyes narrow. “You can’t talk about something you don’t know! Keep out of this!” Wonwoo shouts.

They continue in that fashion, gradually getting louder and louder as some sort of discord swims in Wonwoo’s bones. He’s so mad, so absolutely furious Eunwoo just allowed herself to poke around in his brain like that, he lets down all guards. He doesn’t hear the soft pitter-patter of feet in the distance, too caught up in his shouting match to turn around in time. By the time he can, it’s too late.

“Well, look what we have here,” A voice cuts in. Wonwoo whips his head to the sound, surprise in his eyes. His gaze catches four sharp blood-red symbols of Noxus almost immediately, mentally scolding himself for being so careless. Of course they’d find him. Wonwoo’s not so sure he likes the attention now.

“Told you he’d find another whore,” one of the guards snickers, raising his lance. There’s a female guard next to him, regarding Wonwoo and Eunwoo with distaste. He feels claustrophobic, trapped in a tiny cave void of any weapons and stuck with a whiny, privacy-disrespecting, defenseless healer. It’s great, really. Just fantastic.

Wonwoo growls. “Screw off, before I nail you to the wall and dismember you.”

The guards don’t even flinch, although one shifts on his feet. Eunwoo sneakily ducks behind Wonwoo, causing him to instinctively tuck her behind him as he looks for an opening. The guards ready themselves, scowls on their faces as they stare right at Wonwoo.  _ Think, you idiot,  _ Wonwoo tells himself. They wouldn’t just be randomly exploring entire cave systems to look for a single prisoner, important or not. Therefore, they must be close to the outside, where Wonwoo surely has allies. He reaches out with his mind, searching for some telltale sign of life past the mind-numbing drone of ‘we’re moss plants, we’re not smart’. Eunwoo tenses behind him, eyes trained on the guards. Wonwoo unknowingly slips, letting her into his mind and only being aware when she starts speaking.

_ I can cause a distraction if you can pull something useful from the outside world,  _ Eunwoo mutters in his brain. Wonwoo risks a low growl, warning her. He can practically hear her grin telepathically. The guards eyes them warily.

_ No, run behind them. I’ll make a distraction. Run as fast as you can in that direction, and don’t look back _ , Wonwoo thinks, trying to put aggression into it. Eunwoo frowns.

_ What about you? _

Wonwoo’s stomach twists at the thought of what he knows he’ll have to do. Really, curse Eunwoo for bringing his walls down so fast. He’s not supposed to be thinking like this.

_ I’ll be right behind you. _

Eunwoo gulps.  _ On three? _

Wonwoo doesn’t give her the luxury. The outside world roars in his ears once he’s tapped into the first strand of grass. It spreads like a wildfire, travelling down to Wonwoo’s fingertips, tingling his senses with a pink mist. It’s annoying, really, that his magic has to be  _ pink _ of all colours. Still, Wonwoo has long filtered that annoyance out of his mind. Without warning, he pulls with all his might, shaking the cavern and knocking two guards off of their balance as the rocky walls groan under the weight of the upper world. Eunwoo takes the chance immediately, slipping away like a dandelion puff on a windy day as she dashes past the stumbling guard. She has a strangely strong sense of balance, bouncing off one falling piece of rock to another. Wonwoo grits his teeth, piercing a thorn-covered vine through the rocks before having it burst through the ceiling. A guard charges at him from the right, nearly slicing off his nose before Wonwoo leans back ever so slightly to dodge the shot. Wonwoo’s eyes steel, giving the guard’s armour a quick onceover. There’s a tiny little dent in her under chestplate from the sudden outburst of vines. Wonwoo hooks his left leg over his body, pivoting on the spot as he aims for the dent. The guard’s eyes bulge out at the contact, nearly spitting on Wonwoo’s face as Wonwoo punches his in his left cheek. The guard goes flying into the wall, coughing up blood. Wonwoo feels something sharp digging into his left shoulder, causing his vision to blur in pain before Wonwoo can turn around and react. His mark groans under the blade, spilling out magic faster than Wonwoo could control. He narrows his eyes in concentration, trying to pull the magic back when he feels a familiar set of chains lock on his wrists. The click is almost depressing, but the chain’s bit of anti-magic proofing helps Wonwoo refocus, returning his pink magic to his body.

Then, reality settles in.


	9. Chapter 9: I like you so much, what do I do? (DK)

_ The cannons are deafening. There is fire everywhere, covering every plank of rotting wood around him in orange and red flickers. Seawater fills Seokmin’s senses as he looks around. There’s virtually nothing in sight, just fire, wooden planks and the sea. He tries to get his bearings, squinting at the moonlit sky to see any hint of where he is. Seokmin guesses this a ship, but nothing in front of him gives him any clue. _

_ “Minnie?” a voice calls out. It’s rough and low, immediately filling Seokmin with warm familiarity as recognition hits him. He turns around eyes looking for that familiar mop of black hair. There’s an endearing expression of confusion on him, laced with disbelief as he stares at Seokmin. Seokmin gives him a relieved smile. _

_ “You’re okay.” _

_ Mingyu’s expression morphs into realization. “Do you do this? Go into peoples’ mind when you heal them?” _

_ Seokmin nods, pauses, and then shrugs. “It depends. Some people can just enter without a solid connection to the soul. I,” he gestures to Mingyu’s calf, where his injury was, “need one. Guess I’m your dream buddy for today.” _

_ Mingyu nods, although there’s a slight hesitation to the action. Seokmin decides to forego asking him, worried it might hit a nerve. He walks over to Mingyu, following Mingyu’s gaze around. Mingyu’s fingers graze Seokmin’s own, tangling the limbs together before he pulls Seokmin to the side of the boat. _

_ “Are your dreams normally this… depressing?” _

_ Mingyu swallows. “Not always. I’ve been having weird ones.” _

_ Seokmin sends him a confused look, opening his mouth to ask when Mingyu pulls behind a barrel as the ship roars to life. Out of nowhere, people swarm the deck, wearing ripped cotton shirts and wet pants on skinny bones. They all resemble one another, although there’s clearly a distinction in the way they seem to fight. One side is messy, chaotic and everything Seokmin expects from a gang of pirates. The other side is… strangely methodical. Mingyu seems to eye this side with caution, as if it digs up something he would rather forget. Seokmin deduces this to be the side Mingyu’s from, if their assumption about his origins were correct was anything to go by. _

_ “Are these memories?” Seokmin whispers. Mingyu nods solemnly. _

_ “Maybe. I’m not sure. There’s a kid on board I think is me, but I don’t know what happened to him.” _

_ Seokmin nods, eyes darting around the battlefield. The smell of seawater is soon replaced by the smell of gunpowder, thick black smoke filling the air as clanging sabers echo throughout the ship. They relocate thrice when pirates get too near, but Seokmin’s attention never wavers. _

_ Specifically, it never leaves a certain woman. She wears a deep crimson overcoat, black tricorn hat on her head with a blue feather sticking out from it. There are two pistols in her hand, firing off and reloading at such a speed Seokmin can't even catch the motion. She fights with a scowl, which sends shivers down Seokmin’s spine. There’s a scar on her lip, matching the one Mingyu has on his bottom lip. Upon closer inspection, it’s completely different from the irregular pattern on Mingyu’s lips. This one was a rose, as if the scar was carved out on her lip. Seokmin looks around, surprising himself to find the rest of what he assumes to be her crew sporting the same strange scar. _

_ “Minnie, look,” Mingyu’s voice interrupts Seokmin’s focus, making him whip his head to the railings. There’s a teenage guy, balancing on the railings as he fights off two pirates at the same time. He’s insanely buff and fierce-looking, balanced atop a precarious perch and fighting like he was on solid ground. His black hair falls over his eyes, something akin to electricity circling in the black orbs, tendrils tickling his form and flickering over the rose scar on his lip. Seokmin bites his bottom lip to stifle a gasp. _

_ “Is that…” Seokmin trails off, not sure how to continue. _

_ Mingyu nods solemnly. “Me.” _

_ Dream (or Past?) Mingyu’s arm crackles with magic, electricity travelling in vines as he races onto the deck, eyes meeting with the scary lady from before. She sneers at him, shooting another pirate in the guts before throwing Dream-Mingyu a saber. _

_ “Get them away from my cabin, Shrimp!” she yells. Dream-Mingyu nods without argument, although his eyes flashes with anger at the name, ruthlessly slashing through enemy pirates as he charges towards the cabin. Real-Mingyu grabs Seokmin’s arm and pulls him with him, phasing through pirates like they were ghosts as Seokmin lets a shriek. _

_“What happened to staying hidden?!”_ _  
__Mingyu shoots him an apologetic grin but doesn’t respond. They arrive in front of the cabin just as Dream-Mingyu reaches there too. His eyes flash in recognition of one of his enemies, but Dream-Mingyu doesn’t hesitate to cut him down. Seokmin squeezes his eyes shut at the gruesome sight. Mingyu’s hand clenches around Seokmin’s in obvious discomfort, tension spiking up in the limb like a chicken being choked. Dream-Mingyu is back to fighting, whirling like a monster on steroids as he fights through ranks of pirates. Seokmin didn’t understand how there were so many pirates in the world. Somewhere in the fight, Dream-Mingyu earns three daggers lodged in his body, all of which he dug out and threw at the enemy. It was like he lived only to fight._

_ “This is wrong on so many levels,” Seokmin mutters. _

_ Mingyu grunts, still focused on the batlle. _

_ Seokmin continues. “How could people just fight like this? And what is it for? Treasure? Glory?” _

_ Mingyu squeezes his hand to tell Seokmin he’s listening, although his brows are furrowed at something else. _

_ “Why can’t we all just have a nice chat and work out our differences? OR compromise?” Seokmin complains. Mingyu actually snorts this time, eyes softening. _

_ “The world doesn’t work that way,” Mingyu says softly. He turns to face Seokmin with sad eyes. Seokmin huffs. _

_ “Why not?” _

_ Mingyu smiles weakly. “Not everyone’s as loving as you, Minnie.” _

_ Seokmin’s cheeks colour red in a soft blush, not sure why he’s even doing it. He hopes the flickering shade of orange hides his new skin tone, but Seokmin can spy Mingyu’s eyes dancing with amusement. Seokmin’s about to start another conversation when he’s (rather rudely) interrupted yet again. _

_ Dream-Mingyu growls in pain, sounding like a kicked dog as Seokmin whirls his head to him. There’s a dagger sticking out of his chest, crimson red blood streaming down his shirt. He pulls it out of himself, heaving a gasp as his hand shakes. His attacker swings again, slashing a nasty cut along his lip and raking down his chest. Seokmin stifles a gasp. Real-Mingyu seems to hear him regardless, wrapping an arm around Seokmin’s waist. _

_ “I’m okay. Thanks to you,” he whispers and at that moment, Seokmin comes to the very inevitable epiphany that he is, without a doubt, gone. Mingyu’s hand rests gently on his hip, rubbing soothing circles along Seokmin’s bones as they force themselves to keep watching. His breath is warm on Seokmin’s shoulder, even though this is a dream. It’s absolutely terrifying, how Seokmin knows he would give up the world to just stay in Mingyu’s arms forever. Eunwoo’s voice teases him in his head, telling him about just how whipped he is, and Seokmin can practically imagine himself teasing her right back. _

_ Something really happened, hasn’t it. _

_ “We need to move,” Mingyu mutters to Seokmin. The healer nods, following Mingyu. They duck behind some cannonballs, watching as Dream-Mingyu stumbles. He’s still trying to fight, but his attacker stomps his energy out too soon. He’s wearing a large black overcoat, dirtied with dust and seawater. There’s a disturbing grin on his face, yellowed and crooked teeth baring as he forces Dream-Mingyu to the ground. _

_ “So you’re the Shrimp, huh?” he snarls. Dream-Mingyu coughs up blood, but he’s still glaring. The enemy pirate sneers. _

_ “Pathetic.” _

_ He kicks Dream-Mingyu’s side, forcing up even more blood as Dream-Mingyu goes flying. His knee collides with a stray canon ball, flipping his body so that it lands on the side of the boat with a sickening crack. Seokmin grips Real-Mingyu’s arm in fear, hiding behind Real-Mingyu as he watches Dream-Mingyu’s body go limp. Suddenly, a bright white light glows from his arm, illuminating his side of the ship and blinding nearby pirates as the body jolts up. Electricity crackles throughout his body, travelling out of his body in waves as it courses through the water-stained boards of the ship. The deck explodes like a firework, blood-curling screams echoing through the air as smoke fills the air again. Bits a pieces fly everywhere, yet Dream-Mingyu doesn’t even flinch at it. He only pushes his body up, not caring for the extensive injuries along his bodies. He steps through a flame, lighting his body on fire as he hobbles over to the pirate who kicked him. The pirate is screaming in agony and pain, trying to claw his own eyes out in a gruesome display. Seokmin tears his eyes away in horror, burying his face in Real-Mingyu’s shoulder as tears of fear runs down his cheek. Mingyu’s hand cards through his hair, comforting him and massaging his scalp as Seokmin refuses to look any longer. _

_“Not so much a shrimp, huh?”_ _  
__Screaming._

_ “You won’t be getting away with Captain’s treasure so easily.” _

_ More screaming. _

_ “I’ll be taking this.” _

_ Even more gut-wrenching screaming. _

_ “Goodbye.” _

_ And then, Seokmin’s vision went white. _

“—Seokie!”

Seokmin bolts awake, bumping heads with a rather hard head. Immediately, his vision swims with spots. As they clear, Jaehyun’s face comes into view. It’s laced with concern, as if Seokmin is about to die from food poisoning. Suddenly, everything rushes back to Seokmin, the battle on the ship searing a permanent scar in his brain. Seokmin’s eyes widen, whirling around to find Mingyu.

“Where is he?!” Seokmin yelps.

A groan echoes from next to him. Seokmin snaps to the source, heart clenching as he meets Mingyu’s waking face.

Right under his calf.

“Shit! Oh my gosh Gyu I’m so sorry I had no idea and—”

“Minnie,” Mingyu warns. Seokmin swallows, sitting back. A burning gaze digs into him and Seokmin turns to face Jaehyun. He’s glancing between Mingyu and Seokmin with something in his eyes, realization slowly dawning on his irises as Jaehyun splits into a sly smirk.

“As cute as this it,” Jaehyun drawls, “there’s something I need you guys to see.”

Seokmin cocks his head. “What is it?”

Jaehyun stands up, looking strangely calm for someone who just witness his own love being torn from him. Seokmin can’t imagine how that must feel. It’s strange, how his smile seems to filled with relief and only relief, for Jaehyun is in little ways an optimistic person and—  
Wait.

“What?!” Seokmin yells at the same time as Mingyu cheers “Nunu!”

Eunwoo gives them a shy smile, although it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Hi guys,” Eunwoo whispers. There are healing scratches on her arm and her hair is an abyssal mess, yet Eunwoo looks unharmed otherwise.

“Oh my gosh how did you get out?” Seokmin exclaims, standing up and wrapping her in a tight hug. Eunwoo returns the hug with joy, relief in her posture as she sighs.

“It’s a long story.”

“We have time,” Seokmin reassures her, pulling her onto the forest floor as he slumps against the tent’s walls. Eunwoo gives him a shy smile.

“You two first,” Eunwoo gestures at Mingyu and Seokmin, “you were practically having a seizure in your sleep, Seokie. What happened?”

Seokmin gulps. He glances at Mingyu, asking for permission. After all, it isn’t his story to tell. Mingyu ducks his head but gestures for him to go ahead. Seokmin swallows before telling his friends about the dream, leaving out his personal epiphany. Jaehyun passes him a waterskin when Seokmin chokes up near the ending. Eunwoo eyes Mingyu warily, as if he was going to combust at any moment. With the way he’s hanging his head, Seokmin thinks he might actually combust.

“That’s…” Jaehyun begins, breaking the silence once Seokmin finishes.

“All in the past now,” Eunwoo interjects, glancing over at Mingyu.

“Right?”

Mingyu doesn’t respond. He bites his bottom lip, levelling his gaze with Eunwoo.

“It’s still me,” he echoes, hollow in tone. Eunwoo rolls her eyes.

“I can’t believe we have another one,” she mutters under her breath before walking over to Mingyu and sitting in front of him. Then, she raises her hand and slaps him right across the face. Seokmin widens his eyes in shock, but doesn’t move to help. Eunwoo won’t hurt him. Too much.

“You,” she hisses, poking at his chest, “are not defined by your past. Get that in your skull.”

Mingyu gulps. “Yes ma’am,” he squeaks. It’s a hilarious sight, since Eunwoo is at least a head and a half shorter than Mingyu. Still, she practically towers over him right now.

“Good,” she nods, getting off of him. The air is palpable, tension thick and silent although that’s most Seokmin trying not to giggle. He clears his throat.

“Where’s Wonwoo?” Seokmin decides to ask. Eunwoo’s face falls at this.

“He’s been captured again.”


	10. Chapter 10: I really like you (MG)

Mingyu doesn’t know much about Noxus, the force that had come to invade Ionia, but there are two things he can guarantee. First, Noxus was truly a force to be reckoned with. They were powerful, no doubt about it, but also incredibly versatile and organized, making their empire that much more terrifying to behold. Even if they failed once, they came back to take Ionia. Mingyu was a little more than scared of Noxus.

The second fact? They were terrible at hiding trails.

“Were they even trying?” Mingyu wonders aloud. He spies another broken branch, carelessly thrown off the path. In front of him, Seokmin snorts, giving him an eye roll and a cheeky smirk.

“They tried. The footprints are partially swept away, see? They just suck at it. Even a Shuriman could see where they went.”

Eunwoo shushes them, although she’s smiling too. That’s the thing about powerhouses. They suck at sneaking around. Maybe it was overconfidence in their base. Maybe it was carelessness. Who knows? Seokmin slows his pace to walk next to Mingyu the next time they reach a wider path. Jaehyun is still at the front, all senses working to figure out where Wonwoo was taken. Eunwoo is right behind him, glancing around nervously in case of another attack. Mingyu briefly wonders if she is thinking about something else instead, fingernails chewed upon her hand in anxiety. He wonders what transpired in the caves, and if there was more to the story than what Eunwoo told them.

Seokmin’s palm is warm against Mingyu’s, short-circuiting his brain more than Mingyu cares to admit. There’s a difference to his touch, now that he knows what happened to Mingyu in the past. Mingyu expected hesitance, or maybe even fear in Seokmin’s touch, yet it seemed gentle and odd. Odd in the sense that it was comforting, despite everything.

“I see the camp,” Jaehyun announces from the front, just loud enough for them. Mingyu tears his mind away from Seokmin’s burning palm on his, trying to focus on Jaehyun. There’s amusement dancing in his eyes, although there seems to be a sense of wariness laced in them too, like Jaehyun can’t decide if Mingyu will pounce or not. It messes with Mingyu’s head in a way he hates.

“What camp?” Seokmin asks, although his hand doesn’t leave. Frustrating. Unnerving. Nice. Wait—

“Any ideas for breaking in?” Mingyu clears his throat, letting go of Seokmin’s hand to join Jaehyun. It’s probably his imagination, yet for the slightest second Mingyu can feel Seokmin’s fingertips chasing after his retracting hand. So miniscule, it must not have even have happened. Mingyu mentally chides himself.

Jaehyun hums. “The prisoner’s quarters are over there,” Jaehyun says, pointing at a part of the camp. They’re on a small overlook, just out of reach from the camp but high enough that it functions as a small map. There’s a trail of prisoners leaving the stack of buildings Jaehyun’s pointing at, probably out to work for the day.

“Then what is where?” Seokmin asks.

“I don’t think they’d keep him with everyone else, though. Didn’t he break out last time?” Eunwoo’s voice cuts in, ignoring Seokmin. Mingyu’s shoulders droop at the thought, disappointment replacing his previous hope. He purses his lips in thought.

“How about the main building over there?” Mingyu points. There were some serious looking men wearing uniforms. They seemed important enough to be the ones controlling the camp. Jaehyun nods in agreement. From behind Mingyu, Eunwoo makes a confused noise.

“How are you guys seeing this? It’s like, so far away,” Eunwoo points out. Mingyu falters, confusion in his eyebrows as he glances over at Eunwoo.

“You can’t see it?” Mingyu asks, turning to Jaehyun as he frowns, “but Jae can see just—”

Oh.

“Oh.”

Jaehyun grins, handing Eunwoo some kind of contraption with two small glass lenses and a rigging of twigs and vines of some sort. Eunwoo thanks him quietly, as Seokmin giggles in the back.

“We’re not all superhuman,” Jaehyun teases Mingyu. Mingyu flushes red, although that may be more from the probably-intentionally comforting hand on his back from Seokmin than from the actual comment. Whatever.

“Over by the back, there are fewer guards that way. We could knock them out with some Nightmare Breath and sneak into the main building,” Jaehyun points out, serving as a great distraction. Mingyu nods in agreement, squinting to see the back entrance. Sure enough, there was a tiny little gate, probably used for supply runs or private use at the back, guarded by little presence and tucked away behind leaves and vines. Eunwoo hums an affirmative next to him, handing the contraption to Seokmin as Jaehyun guides him to look in the right place. Mingyu turns around to watch the sight, a gnawing feeling in the back of mind telling him this will be rather important to watch.

“Oh my gosh Jae, there’s a really big brown hole in the middle of this thing,” Seokmin gasps.

“That’s my nostril,” Jaehyun deadpans. Eunwoo stifles a giggle next to Mingyu, who’s trying not to laugh. Seokmin mouths a soft ‘oh’ and moves the contraption ever so slightly in another direction. His lips are pursed in concentration, a foreign frown spreading on his tan skin as his eyes narrow in confusion. Cute, Mingyu’s brain supplies. Shut up, Mingyu retorts.

“Now there’s another brown hole though?” Seokmin wonders.

Jaehyun sighs. “That’s my other nostril.”

Ah yes. Mingyu’s conscience is never wrong.

“Hey, guys,” Seokmin’s voice echoes down the corridor, a tiny whisper on a backdrop on silence and crackling torches. Mingyu tilts his head back, finding Seokmin’s ever-present nervous expression, the one with wide eyes and pursed lips. His hand is hesitating, as if Seokmin just caught himself chewing on his nails again, tan skin a flickering orange under the light of the torches. His face is poorly composed, although Mingyu can sense a small attempt at bravery flickering in Seokmin’s chocolate brown eyes. Absolutely adorable, Mingyu’s conscience supplies. At this point, he can’t even deny it. Mingyu would probably walk to the world’s ends to protect this boy from harm, whatever form that may take, from small bugs to big monsters. Seokmin is just too cute.

“Gyu?” Eunwoo’s voice cuts in, snapping Mingyu out of his daze with a gentle nudge. There’s a knowing smirk on her face, followed by a glance in Seokmin’s direction. Mingyu flushes, turning ahead and ignoring her, although he can feel her satisfaction from that gaze alone.

“Yeah?” Mingyu replies, voice hollow.

“Any ideas to find Wonwoo?” Eunwoo repeats. From the front, Jaehyun looks back ever so slightly, a teasing grin on his face burning down Mingyu’s flustered face.

“There must be a dungeon or basement here,” Mingyu mumbles back. Jaehyun nods, the slightest movement of his head as it swivels around to find a staircase. Seokmin is the one to spot it, a hidden doorway of stone blocks barely lit by the torches around it. There are no windows near it, cutting off any hints of white light on its cold exterior. Seokmin’s hand gently pulls Mingyu into the stairway just as clinking armour echo down the hallway, alarming Eunwoo and Jaehyun into joining them. Jaehyun puts a finger to his lips, eyeing the quartet with a warning before pointing to the top of the staircase. They’re squished against the wall as the sound of clinking metal echoes down the staircase, barely hidden. Eunwoo nods at Jaehyun, fishing a small hand mirror from her pocket, angling it ever so slightly to peek at the hallway. Mingyu narrows his eyes, scrunching up his face to try and read Eunwoo’s expression. She’s focused, eyes trained on her mirror as the armour clinks past the entrance of the staircase. Next to Mingyu, Seokmin sighs softly, burrowing his face in Mingyu’s shoulder to muffle the sound as hot air spreads along Mingyu’s back. Mingyu’s hair raises immediately, a rush of heat colouring his cheeks as he feels Seokmin’s fearful hands shake against his hand. Mingyu tears his eyes away from Eunwoo, glancing back at Seokmin as he grabs ahold of Seokmin’s hand. There’s a gentle squeeze exchanged between them, along with what Mingyu hopes to be a comforting smile. Seokmin smiles back, sheepish in nature, yet his hand stills to calmness. Mingyu looks back over to Eunwoo, who’s staring at their intertwined hand with a gaze that could mean a thousand things. Slowly, she meets Mingyu’s gaze, giving him a knowing smile before she nods for an all-clear. As quietly as possible, they descend the stairs. Jaehyun leads the group again, footsteps a muffled silence as they scurry down the stairs. A layer of dust blows into the air at their disturbance, drawing Mingyu’s attention to the sole prints at the bottom of the stairs. They must be the guards coming down to feed the prisoners, Mingyu decides. Curiously, the sole prints appeared to ever move in one direction, with the leaving prints significantly more heavy on one foot, as if the guard had a bad limp and was trying to cover it up. A chill runs down Mingyu’s spine as he tears his eyes away from the ground, trying to watch out for the group instead. Focus, Mingyu chides himself.

Suddenly, a loud noise bangs against something. The sound of grating iron bars groans and screeches i n Mingyu’s ears, and one glance at the rest of the group tells him they hear the same thing. Mingyu’s hands fly up to cover his ears, blocking out the tail end of the creak before a deep, frustrated shout echoes across the darkroom. Eunwoo’s eyes fly wide open, meeting Jaehyun’s as a silent message is passed. Mingyu nods along when they look at him, communicating through their eyes. He grabs Seokmin’s arm, earning a silent yelp from the boy as he pulls Seokmin towards the source of the previous sound. Eunwoo and Jaehyun rush to the stairway, peeking up to look out for the guards as Mingyu and Seokmin delve into the dungeons for their prisoner. The air was silent again, save for the constant drip of water from one of the cells. Thick green vines erupted across the prison, wrapping around iron bars and walls and squeezing with all of their strength, yet the bars remained as straight and sturdy as ever. There’s an undertone of hot breath beneath the scene, a cloud of condensation in the air in front of one particular cell. Overhead, cracked soil-like ceilings let silver moonlight filter into the dark underground of the camp. A wispy hum of power drums under Mingyu’s feet, a small note in the back of his mind as Mingyu trains his eyes on the center of the dungeons. Next to him, Seokmin squeezes his hand before sucking a deep, loud breath.

Suddenly, a flash of hot pink energy flares through the room, followed by a growl and a loud noise of collision. Seokmin jumps next to Mingyu, although he takes a shaky step forward anyway. With a voice laced in terror, Seokmin tentatively begins.

“W-Wonwoo? Are y-you—“

Mingyu jumps into action, gathering white-hot lightning energy at his knuckles as he slams a punch into the stool thrown in Seokmin’s direction. A silent scream tears itself of Seokmin’s throat, twisting Mingyu’s gut into tight knots as he fixates a death glare onto a pair of fox-like dark eyes that bores into him like daggers. Two bloodied fists curl around two of the iron bars, showing blisters and scars along with rugged fingers as a maniacal grin spreads behind the bars. Mingyu growls, low in his throat as he straightens.

“Took you long enough, Mango,” Wonwoo scoffs. His voice is ragged and raspy, as if he hasn’t drunk anything in three days. He probably hasn’t. Regardless, Mingyu scowls, ready to surge forward towards the asshole when Seokmin places a calming palm on his arm. His eyes meet Mingyu, a hard determination between a mask of pacification as he nods. Mingyu’s scowl deepens, but he backs off to let Seokmin walk forward instead. Seokmin places his own hands on Wonwoo’s tightly gripped one, making Wonwoo flinch before he realizes the intention. The blisters heal, scars fading from Wonwoo’s skin as Seokmin’s turquoise energy envelops the atmosphere in an odd sense of warmness. Mingyu’s fingers relax, calming his senses as he watches Seokmin split into a soft smile. Wonwoo, as expected, has a scowl on his face instead.

“Need some help?” Seokmin tries to tease, and Mingyu wants to wrap him in the biggest hug of congratulations in the world. He settles for a coy smile and a pat on the back instead, revelling in the deepening scowl on Wonwoo’s face.

“The bars needs to be attacked from both sides for the magic to be forced out,” Wonwoo seethes through clenched teeth. Mingyu grins.

“Jeon Wonwoo? Needing help? Minnie, am I dreaming?” Mingyu drawls, teasing tone in his voice. A giggle tumbles out of Seokmin, quiet but enough to rile Wonwoo up even more. Wonwoo hisses again.

“Just get me out of here,” Wonwoo growls as his eyes flash pink as two vines twist from behind him. Mingyu grins in response, focusing electricity on his palms as he motions for Seokmin to back up. Meeting Wonwoo’s eyes, which are terribly scary yet somewhat hilariously flustered, Mingyu gives him the middle finger.

“You’re welcome, asshole.”


	11. Chapter 11: Without you, what would I do? (EW)

Wonwoo really isn’t complicated. He’s the definition of egotistical, brash and not caring for others, regardless of everything others do for him. Eunwoo is well informed of this fact, fully expecting him to abandon them the moment he was rescued. Eunwoo likes to believe that somewhere under the countless layers of thorns and spikes, there’s a decent guy after all. Every rose bud grows thorns to protect its beauty, after all, and Wonwoo should be no different.

At least, that’s what Eunwoo wished was true. She admits that breaching his privacy and dicing into the darkest corner of his mind was not a good choice in any way, yet she had little choice. Wonwoo would doom their quest otherwise, his shifting personality only appearing to have two modes: insensitive and angry. Eunwoo was angry at him, and she had to know.

What she found, though, did little to explain. No, it only deepened her confusion. It was a short memory, one of a torchlit night under the scrutiny of the moon and jungle, where Wonwoo was…

No.

She can’t.

A chill runs up her spine, forearm brushing against a wet sprig of palm. She recoils, lightly crossing her arms as she shivers at the thought. Eunwoo’s bottom lip is bit, dry and chapped skin rolling against her teeth as Eunwoo tries to ignore the memory. A hand finds itself onto her arm, warm and grounding as it rubs two circles unto her skin. Eunwoo glances up, meeting Jaehyun’s worried gaze as he turns to her. Behind them, Mingyu and Seokmin’s chatter vibrates throughout the air like the sound of morning songbirds. Eunwoo’s numb to the feeling of jealousy at this point, resigning to the fact that she will never find love. How could she, when she makes rash decisions like invading people’s privacy and annoyingly insisting on joining a journey that had nothing to do with her. In front, Wonwoo’s magic fogs the air like the flower bombs the kids at the village used to throw every weekend. Something pricks at the corner of her eye, the familiar sense of homesickness washing over and cascading against all the other negative emotions in her brain. Her legs have slowed, unable to keep moving as she breaks. Fear, anger, regret, sadness and—

“Nunu?” Jaehyun’s deep voice calls it. Eunwoo bites back a sob, waving him off as she forces herself to carry on. The rest of the group are oblivious, as concealing her emotions is a skill Eunwoo prides herself on. Yet no matter how hard she tries, Jaehyun always sees it. They were best friends since they were children, laughing under the sun without a care in the world. Jaehyun had left for training when he was eight, moving to the high order of warriors on the mountain to train when Noxus decided to invade again. And still, it seemed time didn’t matter to either of them, because Jaehyun’s every action still reminded Eunwoo of the tiny child she pasted new bandages on every two days. He’s so different now, yet impeccably identical to his old self.

An arm loops around her waist, startling Eunwoo out of her daze as she glances at Jaehyun. There’s a soft smile on his features, laced with concern and worry at the same time. His eyes are hollow, exhaustion beating the strongest person Eunwoo knows to the same state as she is, and it is heartbreaking. Eunwoo swallows her tears, averting her eyes in fear of actually crying. Jaehyun just sighs.

“You’ll be okay,” he says, empty.

Eunwoo stays silent.

“We’ll be okay.”

They walked into the afternoon, eating lunch on the way as they headed further inland. Jaehyun took them as far as he could, which was a large section of thick growth that surrounded the inner jungle like a wall. Wonwoo took the wall down easily, willing the vines to retract and let them through. He’s still quiet and unresponsive, although a flicker of discord flickers on his features. In fact, as Eunwoo slips past the temporary crack Wonwoo made, she can hear his short murmur of ‘where are you, you little bastard.’

“Where is who?” Eunwoo whispers back, curiosity winning over. She is, of course, ignored. They continue further in, led by Plant Man and his plant talking abilities to navigate the thick brush. Branches snap under Eunwoo’s feet; her arms squeeze into the narrow space between the vines Wonwoo manages to tame. Behind her, Seokmin groans in pain, struggling to keep up, and Eunwoo sends him a mental ‘same’ as she tries to fix her foothold on the slippery green side of the plants. The sky is just dark green, the wispy swirls of white in the skies that would remind Eunwoo of home disappearing behind scary-looking jungle brush.

“Keep your guard up, I don’t like how unresponsive the plants here are,” Wonwoo calls out to them around hour two. By then, Eunwoo’s arms are bruised and scratched, her eyes watery from the stench of forest fungi and her head spinning on the backdrop of slow death. Eunwoo glares at Wonwoo, meeting his eyes with her own miserably bloodshot ones, meeting a shell of coldness that sends shivers down her spine.

“What does that even mean?” Mingyu yells from behind her, and Eunwoo mentally thanks him for it. Wonwoo pauses, as if debating if he should answer before a loud crack makes him swivel his head to the side. Wonwoo curses under his breath, pink magic swirling around him as he pushes the vines away from them again. Wonwoo turns to them, stretching his hand out to help pull Eunwoo out of the vines. Eunwoo flinches at the hand, confusion in her narrowed eyes as he stares at Wonwoo. Wonwoo rolls his eyes.

“We don’t have time. I’ll explain on the way.”

Eunwoo nods, deciding her life was more important than trying to figure Wonwoo out right now, and takes his hand. Jaehyun and Mingyu are faster, pulling Seokmin out before running to catch up to Wonwoo. The jungle groans in response, vines inching closer to suffocate them as the group shoots through the path. They give up on trying to sneak in, just trying to survive as Wonwoo starts explaining their predicament. Surprising, Eunwoo knows. Jeon Wonwoo, being helpful and not an ass. Doesn’t compute.

“Someone else is here, and that someone else is fighting my control. I talked to the undergrowth, and they told me this place used to be much tamer and less violent,” Wonwoo explains in a rush. 

“So not you?” Mingyu yells back, earning a glare.

“My guess is that this is where your jungle heart’s going to die, and this is where the prophecy’s going to come true,” Wonwoo says, ignoring Mingyu. Eunwoo frowns at him.

“How are you so calm about this?” Eunwoo calls. Wonwoo ignores her, forehead kitting in concentration as he multitasks to lead the group further in. His magic is thick in the air now, an explosion of pink in the jungle that spreads over everything as his tired-looking limbs continue on. Eunwoo gestures at Seokmin, who charges towards Wonwoo to release his turquoise magic into their Plant Man. Wonwoo gives him a side glance, an odd emotion that Eunwoo has never seen from him spreading on his features. Even Seokmin flinches at it, taken back by his look of… thankfulness? Whatever it is disappears as soon as it came, and Eunwoo is left with nothing but confusion.

Wonwoo breaks the atmosphere, hard gaze returning as they continue on their path. "They'll be here soon, let's keep moving," he said. Eunwoo is momentarily stunned, meeting Seokmin’s eyes as she catches up with him to confirm whatever the hell just happened, finding the same thought reflected back at her.  
“Who’s ‘they’?” Mingyu yells. In front, Eunwoo can see Wonwoo tear down the last of the vines, opening up a tiny clearing as sunlight finally returns to them. There’s a staff floating just above the blades of grass in the middle of it, regal looking under the soft sunlight as it hums with power. It’s made out of two intertwining oak branches, decorated with carvings and pearls. Eunwoo snaps out of her daze staring at the staff barely in time as Wonwoo’s frozen back comes into view. Eunwoo yelps, crashing into Seokmin and tumbling onto the ground as she narrowly avoids crashing into Wonwoo. She feels bad for Seokmin, but she’s much more terrified of Wonwoo.

Eunwoo rubs her head, shaking twigs and leaves out of her hair as she breathes heavily. The air smells nice now, free of the fungi as she breathes in fresh air. Really, this journey had been too much for her, emotionally, physically, mentally and all the ‘-ly’s. Eunwoo just wants to curl up into a ball and maybe take a good nap on a comfortable bed, thank you very much. There was something calming and peaceful about the clearing, devoid of sounds and interruptions to its atmosphere, except for a sharp ‘tsk tsk’ in the background.

Wait.

“I thought I told you we would never see each other again, Daisy,” a woman calls out from across the clearing.

“Captain?” Mingyu’s voice quivers.

“Scary lady?!” Seokmin yelps.

“Minkyung,” Wonwoo growls, voice seething and hurt at the same time.

Eunwoo cracks her neck, scrambling to get up as confusion takes over. On the other side of the small clearing, the woman—Minkyung—cackles, an unpleasant sound ringing through the air as she walks through the forest.

“I see you haven’t changed one bit, Shrimp,” Minkyung says sweetly, despite the venom dripping from her eyes. “Always getting in the way. First betraying the crew, and now this,” she continues with a ‘tsk’ at the end. Eunwoo whips her head towards Mingyu, finding him swallowing with shaking eyes. He doesn’t remember her, right? So why is he so scared?

“I never betrayed any—”  
“LIES!” Minkyung yells. Eunwoo flinches, instinctively clinging onto the nearest person, who turned out to be Seokmin, doing absolutely nothing to help with her fear. Mingyu flinches too, taken aback.

“Why don’t you be a dear, Shrimp,” the woman hisses, staring straight at Mingyu, “and get. Out. Of. My. Way.”

Mingyu’s gaze wanders, fear in his pupils as they search for some kind of anchorage. He ends up meeting Seokmin’s, who apparently does something to stabilize and return some form of courage into Mingyu’s eyes again. The brief moment of tension is broken when Mingyu clears his throat, levelling his gaze with Minkyung as he spoke, voice shaking ever so slightly.

“My name is Mingyu, and I will do no such thing, you liar,” Mingyu replies courtly, causing the woman to flinch wildly. Her eyes flash a violent purple, a rose searing onto her bottom lip as she charges at Mingyu. Wonwoo’s the first to react, pulling vines out of the ground to block her as he pushes Mingyu out of the way. The woman collides with him, purple energy swirling around her hands as it travels into Wonwoo’s own mist. Wonwoo growls back, shoving her off with a cry as he flings the magic into the forest.

“Seokmin! Run to the staff!” Wonwoo yells at Eunwoo and Seokmin’s position, startling them into action as Jaehyun dashes over to help them up. Seokmin immediately complies to Wonwoo, charging at the floating staff in the middle of the clearing, under a canopy that seems to cover this entire part of the jungle. Eunwoo joins him, ducking under a flying branch as Jaehyun catches it and hurls it back at the fight. Minkyung lets out a screech as it stabs into her inner thigh, eyes wild and crazed as she turns to Mingyu.

“I could never get you. You always managed to be immune from it,” Minkyung seethes. She zeroes in on the diamond heart tattoo on Mingyu’s shoulder, breathing turning shallow as her purple mist magic swirls around her torso again. Eunwoo and Seokmin have reached the staff by now, although Eunwoo stops to watch it all play out as Seokmin sucks in a breath behind her.

“Nunu, keep watch. This might take a while,” Seokmin whispers. Eunwoo nods, as if she would be able to tear her eyes away from the scene anyway.

“You,” Minkyung continues, a dry laugh in her tone as she heaves a breath, “and that stupid mark of yours. I knew it was strong. That’s why I had to try and get close to the land’s vessel. He was my best guide to this place.”

Wonwoo’s eyes widen, but Mingyu’s surprisingly do the same. Meanwhile, Eunwoo is just as confused. Weird marks and destiny sounded complicated as heck.

“Why are you here?” Wonwoo demands, “and how have you managed to bend the land under your control?”

Minkyung laughs, dry yet still maniacally unsettling. “Why? I lost everything the day that Shrimp blew up our ship. My crew, my treasure, my life, my everything,” she croaks, voice hoarse, “I knew of a great treasure in the famed First Lands. It would have fetched a pretty price to the rarity collectors of Bilgewater.”

It was Jaehyun’s turn to growl this time. “Ionia’s heart is not something for you to just take, fox. It’s a tool meant to save us, come the apocalypse, for the chosen hero,” he sneers at her.

“You are not chosen.”

Minkyung glares at him, eyes flickering to where Eunwoo was standing and twitches the corner of her mouth. She glares back at Jaehyun, the jungle silent like a frozen lake. Behind her, Seokmin freezes too, no doubt from Minkyung’s stare.

“Then perhaps,” Minkyung growls, “I will at least satisfy my revenge.”

With a yell, her purple mist sinks into Jaehyun’s body. Eunwoo cries out his name, stirring Mingyu into action as he pushes Wonwoo out of the way as Jaehyun surges forward. Minkyung cackles like a madwoman, watching with glee as Mingyu and Jaehyun come at each other’s throat. Jaehyun’s eyes are wild like a caged animal, his every action slow and sluggish as if he is fighting his every swing of his dagger. To Mingyu’s credit, he fights back adequately. His wristbands glint under the faint sunlight, crackling with electricity despite his intentionally soft punches. Neither is going to win at this rate, and Minkyung just looks even more pissed off.

“Eunwoo! The staff!” Wonwoo yells at her, striking a chord of action in Eunwoo as she turns around. Seokmin’s turquoise magic surrounds the staff, whose surface is a sickly pale shade of ash-brown. Eunwoo’s eyes widen, confusion swirling in them as she looks over at Seokmin.

“It’s…” she begins, not knowing how to respond.

“Dying, I know,” Seokmin finishes for her. Eunwoo startles, a sense of pride swirling in her as she watches how calm Seokmin is as he pushes his magic into the staff. He’s vastly different, yet so achingly familiar at the same time. Where a cowardly baby once stood, Seokmin now looks like a brave, clam hero-material savior. It’s jarring, to think of how much he’s changed, while all Eunwoo changed is…

Nothing.

And for some reason, that doesn’t settle right with her.

“What can I do?” Eunwoo asks, voice small. Seokmin shakes his head.

“I don’t know. I don’t know how to heal it. I would guess it has something to do with the prophecy, but I just don’t know!” Seokmin cries. Eunwoo takes a deep breath, turning back to the battle and watching Wonwoo sprint towards them.

_ “Where friends are lost and enemies fight,” _ Eunwoo mumbles, returning her gaze to Seokmin. He meets her eyes, gears turning in his head.

_ “Give it your light or pay the price,” _ Seokmin finishes. He turns back to the staff, pulling his magic back as realization dawns to him.

“Light,” Seokmin breathes, “We need light.”

Eunwoo frowns. “Isn’t it in direct sunlight?”

Seokmin shakes his head. “No, not that kind of light,” Seokmin breathes. He turns back to the staff.

“Stand back,” he tells her, pushing Eunwoo behind him ever so slightly, “I’m going to try something.”

Eunwoo frowns, opening her mouth to ask what when Seokmin’s turquoise magic explodes from his body and through the entire canopy like a tidal wave. Everyone is blasted back, including Eunwoo as she stares at him. Seokmin surges forward, wrapping his hands around the staff as his eyes swirl with turquoise energy.

“Wonwoo!” Seokmin yells. Wonwoo is by his side almost immediately, pink mist seeing into the staff as it regains a slight brown colour. A bright light erupts in the middle of the clearing, drowning everything in light as Minkyung’s scream of ‘No!’ cuts through. Eunwoo squeezes her eyes shut, throwing herself onto the ground as she feels her body rejuvenate with newfound energy. The world explodes in white, starting to burn her skin as Eunwoo tries to peek her eyes open. Minkyung is dragging herself towards Seokmin and Wonwoo, a dagger in her hands as she creeps up on the two. Their eyes are focused, pain in them as Wonwoo pulls some kind of energy blade from the staff, unaware of what was happening.

“Wonwoo! Seokmin!” Eunwoo cries out. They don't hear her. Minkyung doesn’t hear her. She can’t hear herself, and Eunwoo realizes that her voice is utterly gone now, shattered into pieces. Gritting her teeth, Eunwoo tries to prop herself up, only to feel Jaehyun’s arms loop under hers and helping her up. Eunwoo looks at him wildly, gesturing at Minkyung when she sees his sad smile, devoid of crazed intentions like earlier. She turns around, looking down a little to find…

No…

No.

No!

“Save them,” are his last words, a gaping hole blown into his chest, smelling like burnt flesh and lightning. Behind him, Mingyu is backed up against a tree, staring at his own hands in horror as he stares at Eunwoo with pleading eyes. Eunwoo’s heart shatters, unbearable anger flaring through her veins as she stares Mingyu down, wanting to return the favour when another pulse of energy rings throughout the clearing. Eunwoo whirls her head around to Minkyung, who’s barely inches away from Seokmin and Wonwoo with a raised dagger and Eunwoo knows she needs to act now, or it will be too late.

Jaehyun stares at her with closing eyes, a gentleness in those chocolate brown orbs she always knew she loved. Tears stream down her cheeks, and Eunwoo decided that she knew exactly what to do.

Revenge serves no one any good.

Eunwoo dashes to the center of the clearing, crashing into Minkyung and hitching a breath as she feels the smooth slide of dagger puncturing through her ribs. Eunwoo coughs, blood staining her lips as she levels her gaze with Minkyung. Eunwoo pulls the knife out, watching Minkyung overcome her surprise to grin as she holds it shakily in her hands. Eunwoo’s vision dance with yellow spots, the world fading except for a deafening beep ringing in her ears. Her heartbeat takes over, pulsing as she shakily grips the dagger with both hands.

“This is for everyone,” Eunwoo croaks, although she knows no one can hear her. With a final breath she stabs it into Minkyung’s heart, twisting it so that the dagger couldn’t be pulled out as her vision blurs. White spots dance in front of her, a symphony of pain banging against her brain as Eunwoo slumps over. Her mind fills with Jaehyun’s sad smile, the remnants of the dimples she fell in love with since she was a wee child, dissipating in the wind along with a secret she knew was never a secret.

A secret that Eunwoo knew was reciprocated, if only she was a little braver. Now, all that’s left is regret, and a terrible sense of knowing exactly what was out there. Exactly why she shouldn’t have ever left.

And maybe, that’s just how destiny works. The ones chosen were always meant to survive and thrive. The ones who tried to tag along on a ride they never had a ticket to are thrown off, one way or another.

At least Eunwoo had something to look forward to.


	12. Chapter 12: Do you even know my heart? (DK)

There was an expression the elders often used. ‘The calm before the storm’, they said, to not let a quiet moment fool one into a sense of security. Seokmin thinks his situation is somewhat similar. Too quiet, he thinks. He fears for the coming storm.

The staff that took them so much to find lies ignored on the ground, odd magic saved to study later. Jaehyun and Eunwoo’s bodies were clean and healed, not a single trace of the bloody fight on them, but not a single trace of life either. Wonwoo guessed that the staff has something to do with healing, deducing that it’s probably attuned to assist Seokmin’s magic. Seokmin, of course, is terrified of this. Still, he tries to accept the responsibility with gratitude, despite the looming threat of the old legend hanging over his head like a guillotine. Wonwoo, on the other hand, who literally pulled a sword out of the staff engraved with mysterious words and is probably tied to the same legend, is completely fine. Seokmin really shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as they were two completely different people, but Wonwoo’s lack of emotion towards… anything is unsettling. In a way, he prefers angry Wonwoo to this blank Wonwoo. At least then, Seokmin had some opinion of him. Right now… 

They’re still standing in the cursed little clearing. The thick vines that once surrounded the clearing are all gone now, the only reminder of their existence being the heavy green corpses littered on the ground. Flowers return to the clearing, peaceful camelias dotting the soft green hue underneath. There was an air of quiet serenity in the clearing, speckles of magical blue dust swirling in the atmosphere with every gust of the wind. Seokmin is in a perpetual state of awe, not used to seeing such a beautiful sight. It was as if the land was waking up again, magic returning to its coursing veins as the scenery flourished. It was like new skin growing over an old wound, the vague outline of a temporary bandage gone from Ionia. The stories told of a time when Ionia was beautiful, yet Seokmin never quite knew how much until now. A flash of anger rises in Seokmin, angry at the cursed Noxians for taking this away from them, two hundred years ago.

“Do Ionians have special burial rites?” Wonwoo asks, interrupting Seokmin’s train of thought. Seokmin turns back to Wonwoo, finding him kneeling over Eunwoo, pink magic swirling around the flowers around her. Seokmin chokes up at the sight of her pale skin blending in perfectly with the white flowers, torn dress covered by petals and face peaceful, as if she had no care in the world. It’s a stab to the guilt, reminding Seokmin of a life before he went on this stupid quest. It really isn’t worth it.

Nothing is.

“We let the land take our dead,” Seokmin tries, voice cracking with every word. Wonwoo nods, standing up to move over to Jaehyun to do the same. Seokmin is still frozen, unable to do more than bite his bottom lip to stop the tears from overflowing. Wonwoo’s hand hesitates for a moment, before he snaps his fingers and the white flowers around Jaehyun melt into red. They spread down the clearing, meeting Eunwoo’s white and mixing into a beautiful shade of light pink, stained with the memories of a horrible event that occured. Seokmin stays rooted in his place even as Wonwoo exhales softly, turning to him with cold, nonchalant eyes. It’s unnerving, how calm Wonwoo is about all of this, while Seokmin is probably about to break. He wishes Mingyu was here, so Seokmin could at least have one person who understands him, or at least is able to tell him what happened to the others. But he’s gone, disappearing into the forest before Seokmin woke up.

Instead, he has Wonwoo.

“How are you so calm?” Seokmin calls out, voice barely louder than a shaky whisper. Somehow, Wonwoo still hears him, although his expression changes little, apart from the soft sigh that comes out.

“Every flower dies, you know,” Wonwoo begins, voice deep and even, as if emotions were a foreign concept to him, “these ones just wilted early.”

Seokmin stares numbly, not even flinching when Wonwoo walks over and gives him a soft pat on the shoulder.

“You called them flowers,” Seokmin says dumbly. Wonwoo chuckles, a tiny, odd sound that Seokmin never thought would ever come out of him.

“It’s what they deserved. Whatever happens.”

Seokmin frowns. “That’s not a very you thing to say.”

Wonwoo glances back at Seokmin and it finally hits him what Wonwoo is trying to say. His diamond heart tickles a soft prick around his shoulder, right where Wonwoo’s hand is lingering. Pink and turquoise magic swirls around them, touching the sword and staff on the ground as a gentle reminder that their prophecy hasn’t ended. And perhaps, that’s what's worse about this whole ordeal.

“We have a long road ahead of us, if these weapons are to mean anything. No point in dwelling on the past,” Wonwoo says simply, tucking his new sword into his belt and walking off in silence. Seokmin watches him leave, deciding that Wonwoo can easily find them when he’s needed. He’s mysterious, and he hasn’t changed one bit, even if he’s less angry all the time.

_ Baby steps, _ Eunwoo would say.

Seokmin breaks.

Mingyu is the first to return. Seokmin is sitting on the grass, running his fingers over the words engraved on his new staff, lips pursed in concentration. It’s night now, the silver moon glimmering in the distance. The air is still glittering with blue magic, settling on Seokmin’s cheekbones peacefully after he gave up on trying to brush them off. Instead, he focuses on the light wooden staff in his hand. It’s the perfect weight and hold in his hands, the oak wood smooth and gentle to touch. The hum of power previously drumming in the background from the staff is silent now, remaining silent even as Seokmin gave it a few twirls earlier. He tried to channel his magic through it at first, pleasantly surprised when he felt the magic collect inside of the staff instead of repelling it like it did this afternoon. Seokmin now decides to ponder on the mysterious carvings on the side of it, written in the old language in beautiful cursive. He doesn’t hear Mingyu approaching, too engrossed in his own thoughts to see him until Mingyu interrupts his train of thought.

“What does it say?” Mingyu asks. Seokmin doesn’t flinch this time, feeling Mingyu’s hot breath trail down his neck while his voice remains stable. At least, mostly stable. Years of experience comforting traumatized soldiers lets Seokmin detect the ever-familiar fake cover of courage, trying to hide the slight tremble. Mingyu’s voice is dry, slightly hoarse as if he’s been crying. Seokmin glances down at his arms on instinct, seeing the sleeves pulled down to hide the peeking hint of a scar on his arm. The staff has healed everyone in a blast of energy, pulsing all the scars and wounds away, so this one must be new.

Which means something happened.

“What happened? When I was trying to revive the forest?” Seokmin asks. Mingyu’s gaze averts Seokmin’s own, biting his bottom lip as to avoid the question.

“Gyu?” Seokmin tries. Mingyu doesn’t answer, only turning his head to look at the vague outline of Jaehyun’s body on the red side of the field. Seokmin feels tears prick at his eyes again, but he’s already spent two hours crying. He can’t do it again. Blue magic settles on Mingyu’s hair, but the boy doesn’t move to brush it off. He cups his hands, gathering it in his big hands and staring at the blue dust for a while. Seokmin remains quiet, remembering Kyungwon’s advice to never press past the first try. Troubled souls need time to open up, after all.

“Didn’t you see what happened to them?” Mingyu asks, although his voice is so small Seokmin barely catches it. Seokmin frowns, looking at Eunwoo and Jaehyun once again to catch a hint of some kind of injury that wasn’t healed. There weren’t any.

“Not really,” Seokmin decides to be honest. Mingyu purses his lips, eyes peeking at Seokmin before he lets the blue magic drop to the floor and rests his head on his arms and knees.

“I killed him, Minnie. I killed him. Blasted a big ol’ hole through him the moment he started getting aggressive. He died before you could release the magic,” Mingyu whispers, voice hollow like he’s reliving the moment again. He probably will be, for the next eternity or so. Seokmin stares at him in mild shock, yet not a single knot of anger or remorse rises. It was always the Ionian way, to be at peace like a gentle breeze, and never the typhoon. Right now, Seokmin wishes he could be a little angry. After all, isn’t angry how Wonwoo stays calm and collected?

“You should’ve seen the look on her face,” Mingyu continues, voice cracking as he continues, trying to avoid saying their names, “she was going to rip my head off…” Mingyu trails off.

“And then?” Seokmin prompts gently. Mingyu looks back at him, tear-stained eyes an empty void of black amongst the sprinkle of blue magic dusted on his cheeks. He’s absolutely wrecked like this, pretty face pale and devoid of composure as he stares at Seokmin.

“Aren’t you going to ask why?” Mingyu whispers, as if his voice betrayed him. Seokmin just purses his lips.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. He wasn’t himself,” Seokmin points out. Mingyu shakes his head.

“I still killed him.”

Seokmin shakes his head. “You had no choice.”

Mingyu looks away. “I could have saved him.”

Seokmin sighs, looking back at his staff and running his fingers across the engravings once again.

“Do you still want to remember?” Seokmin asks, deciding to change the subject. Mingyu’s head turns back, confusion in his eyes at how lenient Seokmin is. Seokmin gives him a sad smile in return.

“Why aren’t you angry?” Mingyu asks. Seokmin watches his eyes turn to disbelief, as if he expected the whole world to turn on him. Seokmin doesn’t like turning his back on people. Jaehyun would call him too nice. Seokmin just doesn’t think people should be alone.

“Do you want your memories back?” Seokmin says instead. Mingyu purses his lips again, staring at Seokmin like he’s trying to say something that just won’t come out.

“And find what else out? That I’m even crueler than I thought?” Mingyu echoes.

Seokmin frowns. “You’re not cruel.”

Mingyu barks a laugh. “Sure.”

“What kind of cruel person,” Seokmin argues, “watches over an injured person while they’re unconscious?”

Mingyu opens his mouth to retort, but Seokmin barrels on.

“What kind of cruel person risks his life to go save someone who wanted to kill him?” Seokmin continues.

“What kind of cruel person refuses to relive their cruel actions? What kind of cruel person acknowledges it, and feels guilty over—?”

“I’m a prime candidate, aren’t I?” Mingyu interrupts. Seokmin flinches, before schooling his expression into determination.

“I don’t fall for the cruel ones, y’know? You’re good. You’re nice and gentle and caring and  _ everything but cruel!” _ Seokmin blurts out, before realizing his mistake and slams his hand over his mouth. Mingyu’s eyes widen for a second, registering Seokmin’s words before they turn into utter despair.

“Then maybe you should find someone else,” Mingyu mumbles, starting to stand as his eyes turn glossy again. Seokmin’s eyes fly wide open again, but he’s too stunned to talk. It’s not rejection, exactly, if one takes it into context. With a broken voice, Seokmin tries to speak up.

“You don’t mean that,” he whispers. Mingyu swallows.

“But I do.”

And with that, Mingyu runs away again, leaving Seokmin alone again, and very, very tired.

_ Seokmin wakes up to a dream. Or does he fall asleep into a dream? How do dream mechanics even work, anyway? Whatever the case, he dreams into a yellow room. It’s a terribly gawdy shade of mustard yellow, like whoever built the set picked up the ugliest can of paint they could find and chucked it everywhere. _

_ “Excuse you, mustard is a perfectly good colour,” an offended female voice scoffs. Seokmin whirls around, finding a petite girl with thin, lanky limbs. She’s wearing a scowl on her face, as if she couldn’t believe how stupid Seokmin is. _

_ “You are very stupid,” the girl agrees. Seokmin frowns. _

_ “You can read my thoughts?” _

_ The girl rolls her eyes. “No, I just creepily stalk you while you wake and protect you from the Watcher’s influence at night as an outsider.” _

_ Seokmin’s frown deepens. “So you can read my thoughts.” _

_ The girl sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose as she gives Seokmin an unamused look. She pulls a pocket watch out of her coat, glancing at it before turning to Seokmin with a tired yet grim expression. _

_ “We don’t have much time. Did you read the staff’s engravings?” the girl asks impatiently. Seokmin frowns. _

_ “It’s in the old language.” _

_ The girl sighs, gripping her hair in frustration. _

_ “Great. So four are on their way to perpetual doom, two are barely out of their mess and now I’ve got three people with no way to guide them. Thank you, Goddess. Really, thanks.” _

_ Seokmin cocks his head in confusion. “What?” _

_ He’s ignored. “I swear, if the other four insist on trying to make my job even harder, I’m going to kill someone, and the dream walker will be first,” the girls hisses, staring angrily at her pocket watch. Seokmin tries to interrupt, but he’s just a little terrified of her. Just a little. _

_ “You,” the girls hisses, turning to Seokmin, “listen up. The dream walker will find you soon, if he’s competent enough to finally get his shit together. From now until then, we have almost no time. Maybe three weeks, maybe less. You need to get to Piltover by then, got it?” _

_ Seokmin is a little confused, but he doesn’t reply. The girl seems satisfied, barrelling on. _

_ “The land’s vessel is right. There’s a long road ahead of you. Don’t despair. The storm caller is an expert on ship stealing, even if he doesn’t remember it. Head southwest, down to Bloodcliffs. There will be something important for you to pick up there. From there, join the dream walker’s team. You must prevail. The fate of the world rests on your frankly terribly weak shoulders.” _

_ “Excuse me?” _

_ Again, he is ignored. “Go immediately. You can resolve issues on the move.” _

_ Seokmin frowns. “Why the rush?” _

_ The girl holds up her pocket watch for him to see, except instead of two ticking hands, only one is there, telling the completely wrong time and moving absurdly slow in the wrong direction. _

_ Almost like a countdown. _

_ The girl nods. “I’ll wake you up now, but you must follow my instructions. We don’t have much time.” _

_ Seokmin nods, causing the girl to sigh in relief. _

_ “Finally. One that isn’t completely incompetent,” she moans. Then, she turns to him again, gaze hardening. _

_ “Wake up, healer. Wake up and read about your future. The prophecy has truly started.” _

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on twitter if you want: @heonynchans


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